US chides Aussie central bank for trying to talk currency down

Sydney

THE Australian central bank's attempts to talk the local currency lower last year ran afoul of the US Treasury, which chided officials by reminding them of their commitment to a freely floating exchange rate.

The US representative office at the International Monetary Fund in September expressed concern over the Australian authorities' public statements on the desired direction of the exchange rate, it said on Monday in Washington.

In August, the Reserve Bank of Australia's monthly policy sta…