AUD/USD: Daily Range, Character and Trading Hours
AUD/USD moves a median of 46 pips per day. Half of all days fall between 33 and 64 pips, and the widest day in our sample reached 177. Traders call it aussie. Every figure below comes from 518 daily bars covering 2024-07-29 to 2026-07-30.
AUD/USD character: how the pair behaves
The Australian dollar trades as a proxy for global risk appetite and for Chinese demand. On days when equity markets move together, AUD/USD usually moves with them, and its own domestic data becomes secondary.
Measured daily range
- Median daily range: 46 pips
- Typical band (middle 80% of days): 33–64 pips
- Widest single day in sample: 177 pips
- Median close-to-close change: 22 pips; the largest 20% of days exceed 45
- Range of the pair over the whole period: 0.5955–0.7255, a span of 1300 pips
The gap between the median range and the widest day is the number worth remembering. A stop sized for a typical day is not a stop sized for the tail, and the tail is where accounts are damaged.
When it trades
Most active during Asian hours, when Australian and Chinese data are released. European hours often just continue what Asia decided.
Who it suits
Good for traders who watch cross-asset context. Frustrating for anyone trying to trade it purely off Australian economic releases.
Sizing a position on AUD/USD
Size this pair off risk sentiment, not off its own statistics. On days when the whole risk complex moves, the pair's range expands well beyond its median, and a position built for a quiet session becomes oversized without anything happening in Australia.
Data: 518 daily bars, 2 incomplete bars excluded. The sample is available for download and the method is described in how we run backtests. What actually moves this pair is covered separately in what drives AUD/USD.
The pair's usefulness extends beyond trading it directly: because it tracks global risk appetite closely, its direction serves as a check on ideas in other instruments. A commodity-currency setup that contradicts this pair is usually a setup fighting the broader market.
This material is educational and is not individual investment advice. Trading forex carries the risk of losing capital.
Frequently asked questions
What drives the Australian dollar?
Global risk appetite first, then Chinese demand and commodity prices. Domestic Australian data matters most when global sentiment is neutral.
When is AUD/USD most active?
During Asian hours, when Australian and Chinese data are released. European hours often just continue the direction Asia set.
Why does AUD/USD move with stock markets?
Australia exports raw materials, and demand for them rises when the global economy is confident. That makes the currency a proxy for risk appetite.
New backtest studies — to your inbox
When a new reproducible study comes out or the data is updated, we send a short email. No spam, no "signals", no selling your address.
By leaving your email you agree to receive occasional emails from the portal. Unsubscribe in one click from any of them.