{
  "id": 1860962,
  "title": "Australian Dollar weakens despite RBA’s Hauser hawkish remarks",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/australian-dollar-weakens-despite-rbas-hauser-hawkish-remarks",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-19T03:35:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "FXStreet",
    "slug": "fxstreet",
    "url": "https://www.fxstreet.com/news/australian-dollar-weakens-despite-rbas-hauser-hawkish-remarks-202608190335"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Australian Dollar (AUD) has experienced a decline for the second consecutive day, settling near 0.7080 against the US Dollar (USD) on Wednesday. Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Deputy Governor Andrew Hauser, in his remarks, conveyed that high inflation persists and that monetary policy aims to curb demand and alleviate pressure on prices. Despite not expecting a recession, the central bank is observing a slowdown and remains deeply concerned about inflation risks. Hauser hinted that if inflation does not subside, the RBA will likely raise interest rates again. Australia's seasonally adjusted Wage Price Index stood at 3.2% year-on-year in Q2 2026, consistent with the revised figure from Q1 and matching market expectations. While quarterly wages rose by 0.8%, this represents the weakest wage growth since Q4 2024. Analysts at UOB Group maintain that \"the risk for AUD is on the upside,\" a position they have held since early August and reiterated on 17 August when the pair was trading around 0.7080. The currency has since broken above both 0.7100 and 0.7120, briefly reaching 0.7129 before retreating, with UOB now marking 0.7150 as the next level to watch. However, a drop below 0.7070, with 0.7050 as strong support, could signal that the upside risk has diminished. Meanwhile, the downside of AUD/USD could be limited due to the weakening US Dollar (USD) amid easing expectations of a rate hike next month. Recent economic data showed that US Retail Sales fell in July for the first time in nine months, alongside unexpected job losses and steady CPI inflation figures. The Fed left interest rates unchanged at its last meeting, but three officials advocated for a rate hike, creating uncertainty among traders awaiting further insight from upcoming Fed minutes. Currently, AUD/USD is trading at 0.7080, retaining a bullish short-term bias as it stays above both the nine-period and 50-period Exponential Moving Averages (EMAs). The short-term EMA cluster beneath the price indicates underlying bullish support, while the 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 58.4 remains in positive territory without reaching overbought conditions, suggesting bulls still have room to extend the advance. The technical analysis indicates that the pair is within an ascending channel, reflecting the ongoing bullish bias. Below, the nine-period EMA at 0.7071 and the 50-period EMA at 0.7029 provide initial support, with deeper pullback testing the uptrend's integrity. On the upside, the next significant hurdle is the horizontal resistance at 0.7278, beyond which a sustained breakout could trigger the continuation of the pair's recovery phase.",
  "summary": "AUD/USD extends its losses for the second successive day, trading around 0.7080 during the Asian hours on Wednesday. Addressing the broader economic backdrop, Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Deputy Governor Andrew Hauser emphasized on Wednesday that inflation remains unacceptably high.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "FXStreet",
        "title": "Canadian Dollar strengthens as Trump pauses 50% tariffs and USD slides before FOMC Minutes",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/canadian-dollar-strengthens-as-trump-pauses-50-tariffs-and-usd-slides",
        "published": "2026-08-19T04:03:56.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}