AUD/ZAR - Convert Compare Save

Australian Dollar (AUD)

In late May the Australian dollar stabilized after a shocking mid-April to mid-May period, during which it suffered across-the-board losses, including losses worth 5 percent against the US dollar. May’s closing exchange rate of US69.3¢ keeps the Aussie near long-term lows, but it’s an improvement on May-17's rate of 68.7¢ — its lowest weekly closing rate since early 2016.

A stuttering domestic economy and elevated US-China trade tensions (which threaten commodities demand and risk appetite) have driven the Aussie lower.

In an effort to support economic growth and boost inflation, which remains well below target, Australia's central bank cut interest rates in early June, and is expected to do so at least once more this year, making the Australian dollar susceptible to yield-chasing capital outflows.

Read more in the article AUD Forecasts.

South African Rand (ZAR)

2018 was a grim year for the rand: it lost 14 percent of its value against the US dollar and lost 10 percent against the euro.

Stability returned in the first 5 months of 2019, with no change against the dollar and a 2 percent gain versus the euro.

Talk in May was all about the election, which was again won by the ANC party, led by Cyril Ramaphosa. This spurred a relief rally in the rand, but a serious fall in support for the ANC since 2014 suggests Ramaphosa will struggle implementing much-needed economic reforms.

With the election out of the way, analysts at Deutsche Bank are expecting the rand to weaken throughout the rest of the year.

"We think [rand] optimism will prove short-lived as the market quickly refocuses on deteriorating fundamentals," Deutsche said.

The mid-rate is the rate you will see quoted online or the news. It is actually just the half-way point (hence mid-rate) between the last rate at which the AUD / ZAR was traded (bought or sold) in the international markets.

All foreign exchange providers charge a fee for providing their service and this fee is usually contained within the exchange rate margin (or difference to the mid-rate). Some providers such as Transferwise will quote you the mid-rate (or close to) and charge a separate percentage fee.