New Zealand Dollar weakens below 0.5550, traders brace for US PPI data
- NZD/USD weakens to around 0.5545 in Friday’s early Asian
- Traders ramp up rate hike wagers, supporting the US Dollar.
- A rise in the New Zealand Unemployment Rate reduces market expectations for future RBNZ rate hikes.
The NZD/USD pair declines to near 0.5545 during the Asian trading hours on Friday. Growing bets of a larger Federal Reserve (Fed) rate hike in December provide some support to the US Dollar (USD) and act as a headwind for the pair. Traders will keep an eye on the US October Producer Price Index (PPI) data, which is due later on Friday.
Persistent US inflation and hawkish remarks from Fed officials reinforced expectations for a series of interest-rate hikes. Fed Governor Christopher Waller said that a 50-basis-point rate hike should be considered if core inflation remains elevated.
Traders are now pricing in nearly an 85.5% odds of a Fed rate hike when the Fed next meets December 8-9 and put odds of a half-point hike at 14.5%, according to the CME FedWatch tool.
The US October PPI inflation data will take center stage on Friday. The headline PPI is expected to rise 6.6% YoY in October, while the core PPI is projected to show an increase of 5.0% YoY during the same report period. If the report shows hotter-than-expected outcomes, this could lift the Greenack.
New Zealand's Unemployment Rate climbed to an 11-year high of 5.7%. This weak labor data has dampened bets for aggressive RBNZ rate hikes, weighing on the Kiwi.
Kiwi and Korean won outperform as RBNZ mandate risk recedes
Analysts at Brown Brothers Harriman highlight that "KRW is outperforming across the board on Korean exporters’ dollar selling," while "NZD tops the G10 FX leaderboard." They note that New Zealand’s preliminary election outcome has "reduces the risk the RBNZ returns to a dual inflation-employment mandate which could have tilted policy in a more dovish direction given weak labor market condition."
According to Brown Brothers Harriman, "New Zealand's ruling center-right coalition holds a one seat majority following Sunday’s election, with final results due November 27." The incumbent coalition led by the National Party "wants to stick to the RBNZ’s sole price stability mandate which has been in place since December 2023," whereas "The Labour Party, meanwhile, ran on a proposal to return to a dual inflation-employment mandate." This policy divergence is seen as an important backdrop to the current outperformance of the Kiwi.
Williams flags resilient US economy but stresses inflation fight still unfinished
Fed’s Williams delivers a moderately more hawkish tone, with the FXS Speechtracker score at 7/10 relative to the historical average of 6.1/10, underscoring confidence in robust, resilient growth that is “strengthening but not overheating.” The emphasis that inflation remains “stubbornly persistent and elevated,” alongside the assertion that the central bank “still has work to do” and must act over time to return inflation to 2%, reinforces a steady tightening bias, while clarifying that policy targets inflation rates rather than rolling back overall price levels to avoid damaging economic conditions.
The FXS Fed Sentiment Index slipped by 0.08 points to 147.47, signaling a slight pullback in perceived hawkishness despite the stronger-than-baseline speech tone captured by the FXS Speechtracker. With the index still well above the neutral 100 mark, the Fed remains firmly in hawkish territory, even as marginal sentiment moderation hints at a more measured path for future Dollar policy adjustments.
Technical Analysis: Negative outlook of NZD/USD remains intact below the 100-day SMA
In the daily chart, NZD/USD extends its decline below the 100-day simple moving average (SMA) and the Bollinger Bands’ 20-day middle line, which now cap the topside. This positioning keeps the near-term bias bearish, with price pressed against the lower half of the Bollinger envelope; the Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 37.5 stays below the neutral 50 mark, hinting at lingering downside pressure rather than oversold exhaustion.
On the downside, immediate support emerges at the Bollinger Bands’ lower band near 0.5525, where sellers could pause to reassess. On the topside, initial resistance stands at the Bollinger middle band around 0.5630, followed by the upper band at 0.5730, while the 100-day SMA at 0.5750 forms a more distant bearish barrier that would need to be reclaimed to soften the current negative tone.
(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool. Know more.)
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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