For the record, exports posted a bigger-than-expected drop of 7.5% year-on-year, sending the trade surplus to a 13-month low, while imports remained mired in negative territory.
Indeed, RBA Governor Philip Lowe was still explaining Tuesday's policy decision in a speech to bankers after the central bank wrong-footed economists who predicted there would be a rate pause for a second straight month.
Expectations of a follow-up hike in July cushioned the Aussie from the weak Chinese trade numbers and Australia's own below-forecast first-quarter gross domestic product data.
Stock markets in Asia were mixed, as were U.S. equity futures, following a slightly firmer finish on Wall Street.
Light positioning could well persist into next week's lineup of major central bank meetings, as the earnings season draws to a close.
Persons:
Sonali Desai China's, Philip Lowe, Fabio Panetta, Edouard Fernandez, Bollo, Luis de Guindos, Klaas, Sonali Desai, Edmund Klamann
Organizations:
Reuters, Bank, Bank of Canada, Stock, U.S, Thomson
Locations:
Beijing, Europe, Asia, Brussels