The Australian dollar hit fresh five and a half year lows on Friday as solid US jobs data added further momentum to the long-running greenback rally and bets mounted on a local interest rate cut next Tuesday. In early Asian trade, the local unit was fetching US77.62¢, after having touched US77.22¢, its lowest point since mid-2009. The currency has now lost about 18 per cent in the past six months, its sharpest slide over that time frame since the global financial crisis. In the three months from mid-July 2008, the Aussie plunged a massive 40 per cent as global credit and money markets seized up and governments and ... (full story)