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Westpac IQ

The Australian Dollar rally shifts into a higher gear

August 24 2026 4 mins

The Australian dollar's steady climb became a sprint late last week, jumping 0.85% on Friday to fresh current leg highs near 0.7180. What had been a measured grind higher accelerated more emphatically, with the Australian dollar moving into the high 0.71s in just a few sessions. Unlike Jan/Feb's rallies, this move is not being driven by a hawkish RBA story or stretched positioning. Instead, support is coming from a weaker USD backdrop, rising gold prices, strength across Asian currencies and Australia's mining dividend season. A busy week lies ahead, with Australia's July CPI, RBA August meeting minutes and key GDP partials due, although they are likely to play second fiddle to Fed Chair Warsh's keynote speech at the annual Jackson Hole Symposium.

Kaitlyn Buhariwalla

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