Originally published by AxiTrader
The Aussie dollar did reasonably well given the acute bout of risk aversion we saw in Asian and European trade over the past 24 hours.
The low around 0.7905 was a pretty solid one all things considered. I say that because gold leapt to around $1,325, USD/JPY fell to 109.25 yet the Aussie maintained a bid above 79 cents.
It's back at 0.7950 this morning as the tensions in markets have abated and even though the US dollar has recovered across the board knocking the euro 100 points from its high and driving USD/JPY 140 points from its low.
If you ever needed proof the Aussie dollar is a risk on, risk off, currency the last 24 hours makes the point strongly.
But as I noted above the overall ability of the Aussie to hold above 79 cents is solid. It suggests that absent the tensions surrounding North Korea that global investors, and traders, still see the supports that underpin the AUD/USD - solid domestic and global growth, relatively strong metals (and mining shares), and a benign to hawkish RBA outlook on rates - as key drivers of its value.
But North Korea as an issue has not gone away. The US and Japan are so far showing restraint using words, not military force. Yet again this morning the DPRK has been rattling its sabre and threatening Guam.
Reuters reports that the state run KNCA media service says that yesterday's missile launch was "first step of its military operation in the Pacific and prelude to containing Guam". It also noted the launch was a "drill" to counter the US-South Korean war games.
Seriously, the goading of the regime knows no bounds. They appear to want to push the envelope until the US and the West either accepts North Korea as a nuclear power (with a growing power to strike its neighbours and the US) or the regime is obliterated and the peninsula engulfed in war once more.
I can't pretend to know how this will end. But it looks like the DPRK thinks President Trump will blink the way his predecessors have.
Why am I rabbiting on about this in my AUD/USD column? Because if risk goes off the Aussie will come under pressure again. This time 79 cents is unlikely to hold.
Back on Australian specific news today we get construction work done for Q2 and building approvals for July. Construction work is the first of the partials for Q2 GDP due September 6.
Looking at the charts now, the parameters to watch on the dailies are the trend line at 0.7895/0.7900 and the previous nights high of 0.7982.
Have a great day's trading.