New Zealand Dollar tumbles to near 0.5850 on Fed rate hike bets
- NZD/USD falls to around 0.5860 in Friday’s early European session, down 0.82% on the day.
- Traders await more details as the Trump-Xi summit has entered its second day.
- Markets have priced out the likelihood of Fed rate cuts for the remainder of 2026.
The NZD/USD pair slumps to near 0.5860 during the early European trading hours on Friday. The New Zealand Dollar (NZD) softens against the US Dollar (USD) amid a cautious mood as traders await more details about the second day of a high-stakes summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing.
Trump stated that he had struck “fantastic trade deals” with Chinese President Xi Jinping as he wrapped up his Beijing visit on Friday. On Iran, Trump said, "We’ve settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn’t have been able to solve.”
Earlier Thursday, Trump stated that China’s leader Xi Jinping had offered to help negotiate an end to the war with Iran and keep the Strait of Hormuz open to global shipping. However, uncertainty remains high, and the lack of progress to open the Strait of Hormuz could drag the China-proxy Kiwi lower, as China is a major trading partner to New Zealand.
US economic data released this week showed US Producer Price Index (PPI) inflation accelerated to the fastest pace since 2022 in April, while the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose the most since 2023. These US inflation reports have dampened hopes for further US Federal Reserve (Fed) interest rate cuts, which provide some support to the Greenback and act as a headwind for the pair.
According to the CME FedWatch tool, financial markets are now pricing in nearly a 36.9% odds that the US central bank will raise the interest rate by at least 25 basis points (bps) at the December meeting, up from 22.5% a week ago.
New Zealand Dollar FAQs
The New Zealand Dollar (NZD), also known as the Kiwi, is a well-known traded currency among investors. Its value is broadly determined by the health of the New Zealand economy and the country’s central bank policy. Still, there are some unique particularities that also can make NZD move. The performance of the Chinese economy tends to move the Kiwi because China is New Zealand’s biggest trading partner. Bad news for the Chinese economy likely means less New Zealand exports to the country, hitting the economy and thus its currency. Another factor moving NZD is dairy prices as the dairy industry is New Zealand’s main export. High dairy prices boost export income, contributing positively to the economy and thus to the NZD.
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) aims to achieve and maintain an inflation rate between 1% and 3% over the medium term, with a focus to keep it near the 2% mid-point. To this end, the bank sets an appropriate level of interest rates. When inflation is too high, the RBNZ will increase interest rates to cool the economy, but the move will also make bond yields higher, increasing investors’ appeal to invest in the country and thus boosting NZD. On the contrary, lower interest rates tend to weaken NZD. The so-called rate differential, or how rates in New Zealand are or are expected to be compared to the ones set by the US Federal Reserve, can also play a key role in moving the NZD/USD pair.
Macroeconomic data releases in New Zealand are key to assess the state of the economy and can impact the New Zealand Dollar’s (NZD) valuation. A strong economy, based on high economic growth, low unemployment and high confidence is good for NZD. High economic growth attracts foreign investment and may encourage the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to increase interest rates, if this economic strength comes together with elevated inflation. Conversely, if economic data is weak, NZD is likely to depreciate.
The New Zealand Dollar (NZD) tends to strengthen during risk-on periods, or when investors perceive that broader market risks are low and are optimistic about growth. This tends to lead to a more favorable outlook for commodities and so-called ‘commodity currencies’ such as the Kiwi. Conversely, NZD tends to weaken at times of market turbulence or economic uncertainty as investors tend to sell higher-risk assets and flee to the more-stable safe havens.
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