financetom
Australian Dollar
financetom
/
Forex
/
Australian Dollar
/
Morgan Stanley: Australian Dollar Post-Elections Gains Could be Fleeting
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
Morgan Stanley: Australian Dollar Post-Elections Gains Could be Fleeting
Mar 22, 2024 2:17 AM

Image © Greg Brave, Adobe Stock

- AUD bounces after Labour party lose election

- AUD fundamentals could still weigh however

- Housing still weak and labour vulnerable

The Australian Dollar will probably not hold onto its post-election gains as the old problems which shaped the previously bearish outlook remain, says Andrew Watrous, an analyst at Morgan Stanley, who retains a bearish outlook for the currency.

The Aussie rebounded to above 0.69 versus the Dollar after the surprise results of the May general election and the strengthening Australian unit pushed the Pound-to-Australian Dollar exchange rate down from 1.8591 to 1.8360.

But, the recovery is likely to be ephemeral suggests Watrous as the main bugbear of the Australian economy - the housing market - continues to decline and the previously resilient labour market continues to become increasingly vulnerable.

Add to this high exposure to China via trade, and an increasingly acrimonious U.S.-Sino trade war and you have a recipe for a weaker currency.

The Aussie bounced following the Australian general election on the failure of the opposition Labour party to successful dethrone the governing Liberal coalition under Scott Morrison.

Part of the Labour Party's manifesto had been to remove a tax discount for homeowners which would probably have worsened the downtrend in Australian house prices.

House prices have fallen so much it has raised concerns about the wider economy. House values impact on consumption as people tighten their belts when their major asset falls in value. These fears have become so acute they have impacted on the currency.

The labour market had been seen as the main pillar of strength of the Australian economy but there are even signs this former bastion of strength may now be in decline. The unemployment rate surprisingly rose 0.1% in April and lower-than-expected labour costs suggest increased labour market slack.

Without a strong labour market to counteract the exigencies of the housing slowdown the risks to the economy increase significantly. Not long ago a leading Australian central banker said he did not fear for the housing sector yet as most households had at least one working adult in them who could pay the mortgage - if this changes, however, the economy could enter a death spin of repossession, falling house prices and negative equity.

In such a situation the Aussie would get hammered as foreign capital inflows dried up and the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) furiously cut interest rates to try to offset the pain.

Time to move your money? Get 3-5% more currency than your bank would offer by using the services of foreign exchange specialists at RationalFX. A specialist broker can deliver you an exchange rate closer to the real market rate, thereby saving you substantial quantities of currency. Find out more here.

* Advertisement

Comments
Welcome to financetom comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Related Articles >
Australian Dollar in strong advance against British pound; GBP/AUD @ 1.8291
Australian Dollar in strong advance against British pound; GBP/AUD @ 1.8291
Mar 22, 2024
The Australian dollar to pound sterling exchange rate is therefore at 0.5467. (Note, the above are spot market quotes, your bank will affix a spread at their discretion. An independent FX provider will however guarantee to undercut your bank's offer, thus delivering more currency. Please find out more here). The...
Australian dollar exchange rates: AUD heads lower BUT beware the reversal
Australian dollar exchange rates: AUD heads lower BUT beware the reversal
Mar 22, 2024
By Rob SamsonThe Australian dollar (AUD) has weakened against all of its major peers on speculation that the currency’s recent leap to 90 US cents was overdone.The Aus dollar has fallen for the first time in four days versus the USD’, retreating from the highest level in almost a month,...
Bargain hunting spree pushes AUD higher
Bargain hunting spree pushes AUD higher
Mar 22, 2024
The ‘Aussie’ rallied against a number of its most traded peers including the Pound and US Dollar as traders embarked on a bout of bargain hunting. The currency pushed close to US90 cents as investors sought to buy the ‘Aussie’ on the cheap. The bout of buying meant that the...
Australian dollar (AUD) exchange rate hit by strong USD, falling job vacancies data
Australian dollar (AUD) exchange rate hit by strong USD, falling job vacancies data
Mar 22, 2024
By Will PetersThe Australian dollar (AUD) has come under pressure on Wednesday in an environment of US dollar strength. Also weighing is the latest set of ABS job vacancies data.A look at the global foreign exchange markets shows the Aus dollar to be under pressure: The pound sterling to Australian...
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved