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- NZD/USD turns lower after touching a fresh weekly high during the Asian session on Wednesday.
- Inflation fears and Fed rate hike bets remain in play, limiting USD losses and capping spot prices.
- Delayed RBNZ rate hike bets due to prolonged energy supply shock further weigh on the NZD.
The NZD/USD pair attracts some sellers following a modest Asian session rise to the 0.5760 area, or the weekly top, and stalls the previous day’s recovery move from over a four-month low. Spot prices slide to the 0.730 region in the last hour and seem vulnerable to prolonging the downtrend witnessed over the past two months or so.
The optimism led by US President Donald Trump’s signal that the US would wind down current hostilities with Iran within two to three weeks remains limited amid reports that the UAE is pushing for military action to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Adding to this, the US is still deploying additional troops and assets in the Middle East, raising the risk of a broader regional conflict. This keeps inflation concerns and Federal Reserve (Fed) rate hike bets in play, which acts as a tailwind for the US Dollar (USD) and exerts some pressure on the NZD/USD pair.
Meanwhile, the New Zealand Dollar (NZD) is undermined by expectations that the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) could wait until Q4 before raising interest rates amid concerns that a prolonged energy supply shock would dent economic growth. Apart from this, the latest data published by RatingDog showed China’s Manufacturing PMI dropped to 50.8 in March from 52.1. This counters Tuesday’s upbeat official PMIs and points to a fragile recovery in the world’s second-largest economy, which further weighs on antipodean currencies, including the Kiwi.
The aforementioned fundamental backdrop validates the near-term negative outlook for the NZD/USD pair, though traders might opt to wait for geopolitical developments before placing aggressive directional bets. In the meantime, Wednesday’s US economic docket – featuring the release of the ADP report on private-sector employment, the monthly Retail Sales, and the ISM Manufacturing PMI – will be looked upon for some impetus. The market attention will then shift to the release of the closely-watched US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report on Friday.
