The data from the US showed that the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) left its second estimate of the annualized GDP growth in the first quarter unchanged at 6.4%. This reading came in slightly weaker than the market expectation of 6.5% but failed to trigger a noticeable market reaction. Other data from the US revealed that the Durable Goods Orders in April declined by 1.3%, compared to analysts' estimate for an increase of 0.7%, and the weekly Initial Jobless Claims fell to 406,000 from 444,000.
Following the mixed data releases, the US Dollar Index extends its sideways grind around 90.00, not allowing AUD/USD to gather momentum. On a side note, the benchmark 10-year US Treasury bond yield is up 1.6%, helping the greenback stay resilient against its rivals. In the meantime, the S&P Futures are up 0.1% on the day and the Nasdaq Futures are down 0.25%, suggesting that the market sentiment will not able to provide a directional clue after the opening bell either. There won't be any high-tier data releases featured in the Australian docket on Friday.