The Australian and New Zealand dollars leapt to multi-month highs against a depressed pound on Monday, while the feisty Aussie stood firm versus its US counterpart thanks to carry trade demand. Sterling took the spotlight after a poll showed rising support for Scottish independence. It plunged as far as A$1.7257, its lowest since November to be last at A$1.7316. It has skidded more than 5 cents in just five sessions with charts looking bearish.
The 5, 10 and 20-day moving averages point south, though there is strong support seen at A$1.7046 ahead of A$1.6985. The New Zealand dollar jumped to around NZ$1.9410 against sterling, its highest in nearly two months to be last at NZ$1.9480. Against the US dollar, the Aussie stood near a six-week peak at $0.9373, having met heavy resistance above $0.9400 cents.