The Australian Dollar (AUD) is facing headwinds against the US Dollar (USD) as traders adopt caution ahead of the Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) data from the United States (US) release due later on Thursday. However, the AUD/USD pair received support after the release of Trade Balance data from Australia.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported a trade surplus of AUD 6.9 billion for March, significantly surpassing expectations of AUD 3.13 billion and the revised February figure of AUD 2.85 billion (down from AUD 2.97 billion). The strong surplus was driven by a 7.6% rise in exports and a 2.2% decline in imports for the month.

On Wednesday, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 0.9% quarter-over-quarter in Q1 2025, up from a 0.2% increase in Q4 2024 and exceeding market expectations of a 0.8% rise. On an annual basis, CPI climbed 2.4% in the first quarter, beating the forecast of 2.2%.

Meanwhile, inflationary pressures in Australia in early 2025 have weakened expectations of further monetary easing by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). Markets widely anticipate a 25-basis-point rate cut in May, as policymakers prepare for possible economic fallout from the recently introduced US tariffs.

The US Dollar gains support as US President Donald Trump, during a NewsNation Town Hall interview early Thursday, expressed optimism about a potential trade agreement with China, stating there is a "very good probability we'll reach a deal." Trump emphasized that any agreement with China must meet US conditions. He also mentioned the possibility of future trade deals with India, South Korea, and Japan, and noted that a deal with Ukraine was finalized earlier in the day.

Source: fxstreet