# AUD currency rates: Australian dollar sinks to two-and-a-half year low | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site for latest headlines

> The Australian dollar fell to a two-and-a-half year low near 70.79 US cents, down about 13 percent from its January high. Analysts attributed the drop to a widening negative yield spread versus the US, as the Fed raised rates again.

- Date: 2018-10-05 · published 2018-10-05T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: macro · region Australia · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/62784-aud-currency-rates-australian-dollar-sinks-to-two-and-a-half-year-low-news-com
- Commodities: [Australian Dollar (USD per AUD)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/AUDUSD.md), [US Dollar (Broad)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/DXY.md), [Barley](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARLEY.md)

## Why it matters

A weaker Aussie dollar makes Australian grain, barley and meal exports cheaper on world markets, which can pressure global feed prices lower while supporting Australian export competitiveness.

## Read by commodity

- DXY: bullish ▲
- AUDUSD: bearish ▼
- BARLEY: bearish ▼

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DXY | 2024-12-19 | [Australia hit by $50b bomb in global panic \| news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site for latest headlines](https://feedsoft.ai/events/27218-australia-hit-by-50b-bomb-in-global-panic-news-com-au-australia-s-leading-news.md) | +0.5% | +1.4% |
| DXY | 2025-02-28 | [The latest Australian dollar sell-off is a red flag for the economy - ABC News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/26332-the-latest-australian-dollar-sell-off-is-a-red-flag-for-the-economy-abc-news.md) | -1.5% | -1.3% |
| DXY | 2022-09-22 | [SBS On the Money: Why US rate rise means higher Australian rates and lower dollar \| SBS News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/39837-sbs-on-the-money-why-us-rate-rise-means-higher-australian-rates-and-lower.md) | +1.9% | +1.8% |
| DXY | 2025-01-03 | [Interest rates, exporters and Reserve Bank intervention: There's a lot at stake as the Australian dollar weakens - ABC News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/26751-interest-rates-exporters-and-reserve-bank-intervention-there-s-a-lot-at-stake.md) | -0.1% | -0.8% |
| DXY | 2018-04-30 | [US Dollar To Australian Dollar (USD/AUD) Exchange Rate Rises 0.5% On US Spending Stats](https://feedsoft.ai/events/65756-us-dollar-to-australian-dollar-usd-aud-exchange-rate-rises-0-5-on-us-spending.md) | +1.0% | +2.2% |

## Sources

- news.com.au: https://www.news.com.au/finance/markets/australian-dollar/why-the-aussie-dollar-is-crashing/news-story/e84b1f08cd181b1235ed6930e64f4cdb

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.