Aussie building permits drop 5% in April, may bolster already bearish AUD/USD technicals

• Australia building approvals fell 5 percent month-on-month in April.
• Aussie is already on the back foot, courtesy of the risk aversion and bear flag breakdown.

Australia building approvals or permits fell 5 percent month-on-month in April compared to a 2.6 percent rise seen in March. The markets were expecting a reading of -3.0 percent.

Further, the annualized figure came in at 1.9 percent vs 4.1 percent expected and 14.5 percent previous.

The weaker-than-expected figure could bolster the already bearish technical setup in the AUD/USD pair.

Daily chart

Spot rate: 0.7500

Daily high: 0.7510

Daily low: 0.7476

Trend: Bearish

The bull flag breakdown seen in the chart above indicates the sell-off from the April 19 high of 0.7813 has resumed. The weaker-than-expected Aussie building permits data, coupled with risk aversion in the equities only add credence to the bear flag pattern and could yield a drop to 0.7447 (May 16 low).

As of writing, the pair is trading at 0.7500 - largely unchanged on the day, having a hit a session low of 0.7476 earlier today.

AUD/USD Technical Levels

Resistance: 0.7522 (May 23 low), 0.7540 (10-day MA), 0.7567 (May 11 high).

Support: 0.7488 (May 18 low), 0.7476 (session low), 0.7447 (May 16 low).