AUD/USD climbs 1% on Thursday as DXY recedes

• The AUD/USD has rebounded from recent lows, pushed higher by a retreating US Dollar.
• Australian economic data remains on the weak side, but broader market flows are determining direction.
• Markets are looking ahead to  US PCE inflation figures on Friday.

The AUD/USD has caught a much-needed bounce from near-term lows around 0.6340, and the pair is up over 1% after reclaiming the 0.6400 handle in Thursday trading. The Aussie-Dollar pairing is currently taking a breather and marking in territory near 0.6420.

Australian Retail Sales came in below expectations early Thursday, printing at a seasonally-adjusted 0.2% for the month of August. The previous reading saw 0.5%, and the actual headline figure failed to meet market forecasts of 0.3%.

US data came in mixed on Thursday, with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) hitting the middle at expectations.

US GDP for the second quarter printed as-expected at 2.1% over the previous quarter; Initial Jobless Claims improved slightly, from 202K to 204K.

The downside came from US Pending Home Sales for August, which clocked in an abysmal -7.1%, far below the forecast -0.8% and a complete reversal from the previous print of 0.9%.

All that’s left on the economic calendar data docket for the US Dollar is Friday’s Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) Price Index. August’s PCE is forecast to hold steady at 0.2%.

AUD/USD technical outlook

The Aussie broke loose from recent intraday bearish action, jumping up a full percentage point to ping against the 200-hour Simple Moving Average near 0.6420.

Near-term technical resistance sits at the last swing high last week near 0.6460, and bidders will be looking to catch support from the 100-hour SMA currently drifting into the 0.6400 handle.

The overall trend still remains firmly bearish, and the AUD/USD remains well off recent highs on the daily candlesticks. Price action will see resistance from the 34-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) just north of 0.6450, while downside momentum will see a support zone baked in at recent swing lows between 0.6400 and 0.6350.

AUD/USD hourly chart

AUD/USD daily chart

AUD/USD technical levels