NZD/USD steadies near bottom of range as Dollar weakens on soft inflation and policy concerns

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NZD/USD steadies near bottom of range as Dollar weakens on soft inflation and policy concerns

  • The NZD/USD pair is fluctuating around the 0.5900 mark, recovering from intraday losses amidst conflicting technical indicators.
  • Subdued US inflation data and increasing conjecture regarding a deliberate soft-Dollar policy are exerting downward pressure on the Greenback.
  • Immediate support is identified at 0.5884, while resistance levels are observed at 0.5908 and 0.5928, with technical analysis suggesting a potential rebound.

The New Zealand Dollar versus the US Dollar is trading near the 0.5900 level, retracing some of its earlier losses during Wednesday’s trading session. The pair is experiencing moderate downward pressure but is exhibiting signs of stabilization as price action consolidates near the lower boundary of its daily trading range. This muted performance of the Kiwi is occurring concurrently with a broad-based weakening of the US Dollar, influenced by renewed speculation about a US government strategy to intentionally devalue the Dollar and emerging indications of moderating inflationary pressures.

Market participants are keenly focused on the overarching narrative that the Trump administration might be tacitly endorsing a weaker USD to facilitate its trade realignment objectives. Discussions between US and South Korean officials concerning foreign exchange policy have triggered a wave of USD selling activity across Asian markets, further contributing to the downward pressure on the Greenback. The recent deceleration in the US headline Consumer Price Index (CPI) to 2.3% year-over-year, representing the lowest reading since February 2021, has intensified expectations of future interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. While the Fed is widely anticipated to maintain its current monetary policy stance in the short term, swap markets are still factoring in approximately 75 basis points of monetary easing over the coming year, a decrease from the 125 basis points priced in the previous week. This reflects a recalibration of market expectations in response to the evolving economic data.

Concurrently, the economic outlook for New Zealand remains uncertain, primarily due to expectations of a dovish pivot from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ). A consensus among analysts suggests that the RBNZ is likely to reduce the Official Cash Rate (OCR) at its forthcoming policy meeting, citing concerns about weakening domestic growth prospects. With a relatively light domestic data calendar for New Zealand this week, the price action of the NZD is predominantly influenced by external factors, particularly the shifting market sentiment surrounding the US Dollar. Investors are closely monitoring these external developments for indications of future direction in the NZD/USD exchange rate, as domestic factors take a backseat in the short term. Furthermore, global risk sentiment and commodity price fluctuations, particularly in dairy products which are a key export for New Zealand, could also exert influence on the Kiwi.

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