Australian dollar near multi-month peaks

The Australian dollar rose near multi-month peaks against the US dollar and yen on Wednesday, brushing aside a tame inflation report that left the door open for a cut in interest rates as early as next month. The Aussie firmed to $1.0516, from $1.0473 in New York, after a reading on core inflation came in higher than bears had bet on, causing a short squeeze in a thin market.
Against the safe haven yen, the Aussie powered up 0.5 percent to 81.83. It hit a peak of 82.08 yen, its highest since early November after stops were tripped above the 200-day moving average of 81.54. The New Zealand dollar was steady around $0.8100, from $0.8096 in New York.