- AUD/JPY falls despite hawkish RBA Minutes showing readiness to raise rates further if financial conditions require it.
- China’s manufacturing and non-manufacturing PMIs both rose, beating market expectations to signal steady economic expansion.
- Japan’s Finance Minister Katayama warned Tuesday that the government will intervene appropriately to address volatile currency moves as needed.
AUD/JPY loses ground after remaining flat in the previous day, trading around 111.40 during the Asian hours on Tuesday. The currency cross remains subdued as the Australian Dollar (AUD) holds losses following the release of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) Meeting Minutes and key Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) data from China.
The RBA June monetary policy Meeting Minutes revealed that while the board views current financial conditions as somewhat tight, it remains prepared to implement further rate hikes if necessary to ensure price stability. The central bank highlighted that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East poses a dual threat to the economic outlook, presenting significant upside risks to inflation alongside downside risks to overall growth.
China, Australia’s close trading partner, showed stronger-than-expected resilience in June. The official Manufacturing PMI edged up to 50.3 from the previous 50.0, beating market expectations of 50.1. Simultaneously, the NBS Non-Manufacturing PMI improved to 50.2 from May’s 50.1, comfortably defying the consensus forecast of a contractionary 49.9 print and signaling expansion across both sectors.
The downside of the AUD/JPY cross is limited by persistent weakness in the Japanese Yen (JPY), which remains under pressure due to the wide interest rate gap between Japan and other major economies. This ongoing depreciation has kept policymakers concerned and investors on high alert for potential currency intervention by Tokyo. Highlighting this stance, Japan’s Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama stated on Tuesday that the government “will respond appropriately to currency moves at any time as needed.”
