$A higher as metals prices rise THE Australian dollar is higher after rising to a two-week high, helped by a lift in metals prices and better local consumer sentiment data. At 0630 AEDT on Thursday, the local unit was trading at 103.45 US cents, UP from 103.39 cents on Wednesday. In overnight trade it peaked at 103.62 US cents, its highest level since January 30. On Wednesday, the Westpac/Melbourne Institute announced that its consumer sentiment index rose by 7.7 per cent to 108.3 in February, its highest level since December 2010.