The Australian currency rose its highest value in last 25 years against the U.S. dollar as the credit markets continued to lose on the mortgage lending crisis in the United States.
The Australian dollar (also referenced as Aussie in the Forex slang) showed a fifth day of growth in a row and reached the maximum level against the dollar sine January 1983. Investors are afraid that the U.S. banks are short of capital and the attractiveness of the financial sector will continue to fall further.
AUD also rose against the Japanese yen, but the growth was moderate and its only second straight day of growth on AUD/JPY. Bank of Japan held the interest rate at 0.5 percent today, downgrading the economic growth forecast.
The good thing about Aussie, that is noted by many currency strategists, is that it remains almost untouched by the financial crisis in U.S., while such currencies as Great Britain pound and euro feel the echo of whats happening in the States.
AUD/USD rose from 0.9714 to 0.9798 today as of 7:54 GMT. AUD/JPY opened at 103.13 today and is currently trading near 103.28 with a daily high at 103.42. AUD/NZD remains almost unchanged today, trading near its open level — 1.2714, but the intraday spikes are visible in both up and down directions.
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