AUD/USD plummets to near 0.6700 as RBA Lowe advocates slower pace for rate hikes ahead

• AUD/USD has slipped sharply to near 0.6700 as RBA Lowe trims its hawkish stance on rate guidance.
• RBA Lowe cited that consumer spending is showing resilience after remaining vulnerable.
• A hawkish stance is expected from Fed Powell on interest rate guidance ahead.

The AUD/USD pair has plunged to near 0.6700 after surrendering the critical support of 0.6734. The asset has witnessed a vertical drop as Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Governor Philip Lowe has favored for slow down the pace of hiking the Official Cash Rate (OCR). Also, the RBA policymaker sees resilience in consumer spending after remaining lower due to the higher inflation rate.

On Tuesday, the RBA announced a fourth consecutive 50 basis points (bps) rate hike and elevated the Official Cash Rate (OCR) to 2.85%. Apart from that, RBA Lowe cited that the central bank sees interest rates at 3.85% and the inflation rate will top around 7%.

In the early Tokyo session, the asset witnessed a steep fall after the release of the Australian trade data. The commodity-linked currency reported a decline in monthly export data by 9.9% against an expansion of 5.1%. Also, imports have accelerated by 5.2% vs. 0.7% the prior release. The Trade Balance has trimmed dramatically to 8,733M against the expectation of 14,500M. It is worth noting that the Australian economy is highly sensitive to external trade data and a significant decline in the same is critical for the aussie bulls.

Meanwhile, the US dollar index (DXY) has turned sideways after a rebound move to near 109.60. The asset is expected to continue its lackluster movement further as investors are awaiting the speech from Federal Reserve (Fed) chair Jerome Powell. As the price rise index is highly deviated from the desired rate, Fed Powell will continue its ‘hawkish’ stance on interest rates guidance. Apart from that, a third consecutive rate hike by 75 bps could be discussed for September monetary policy meeting.