AUD/USD Exchange rate

AUD/USD

The AUD/USD currency pair, commonly known as the “Aussie”, represents how many US dollars (the quote currency) are needed to purchase one Australian dollar (the base currency). Alongside with the New Zealand Dollar (NZD) and the Canadian Dollar (CAD), the AUD is considered a commodity currency due to Australia’s significant exports of raw materials such as precious metals, oil and agricultural products.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has historically maintained higher interest rates compared to other industrialized nations. Combined with the relatively high liquidity of the AUD, this has made the AUD attractive for carry traders looking for a currency with higher yields.

HISTORIC HIGHS AND LOWS FOR AUD/USD

• All-time records: Max: 1.4875 on February 1974 – Min: 4851 on March 2001
• Last 5 years: Max: 0.8007 on 25/02/2021 – Min: 0.5509 on 19/03/2020

* Data as of December 2024

INFLUENTIAL ASSETS FOR THE AUD/USD

• Currencies: The Japanese Yen (JPY) and the Chinese Yuan (CNY), as Japan and China are the most significant trading partners of Australia. Other relevant currency pairs include: EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, USD/CHF, NZD/USD and USD/CAD.
• Commodities: Gold, Iron Ore and Natural Gas.
• Bonds: GACGB10 (Australia Government 10-year Bond Yield), and T-Note 10Y (10-year United States Treasury note).

INFLUENTIAL ORGANIZATIONS AND PEOPLE FOR THE AUD/USD

• Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is Australia's central bank, deriving its functions and powers from the Reserve Bank Act 1959. Its primary duty is to contribute to currency stability, full employment and the economic prosperity and welfare of the Australian people. The RBA achieves this by setting the cash rate to meet a medium-term inflation target of between 2% and 3%, maintaining a strong financial system and efficient payment infrastructure and issuing the nation's banknotes.
• The Federal Reserve (Fed) is the central bank of the United States (US) and it has two main targets: to maintain the unemployment rate at its lowest possible levels and to keep inflation around 2%. The Federal Reserve System's structure is composed of the presidentially appointed Board of Governors and the partially appointed Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). The FOMC organizes eight scheduled meetings in a year to review economic and financial conditions. It also determines the appropriate stance of monetary policy and assesses the risks to its long-run goals of price stability and sustainable economic growth. The FOMC Minutes, which are released by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve weeks after the latest meeting, are a guide to the future US interest-rate policy.
• Michele Bullock is an Australian economist and the current Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia. She assumed the role in September 2023 and is the first woman to hold the position. She is the Chair of the Reserve Bank Board, Payments System Board and Council of Financial Regulators. Prior to her current role, Bullock was the Deputy Governor of the RBA.
• Kevin Warsh took office as chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve in May 2026, for a four-year term ending in 2030. His term as a member of the Board of Governors will expire in May 2040. Warsh, born in Albany (New York) on April 13, 1970, is an American financier and attorney who already served as a member of the Fed Board of Governors from 2006 to 2011 and was significantly involved in the central bank's response to the financial crisis. Before that, he served as a special assistant to the president for economic policy and the executive secretary of the National Economic Council under President George W. Bush.