TRENDING:

XAU/USD

EUR/USD

NZ: Business Opinion improved in Q4 – ANZ

Sandeep Kanihama FXStreet Contributor

Miles Workman, senior economist at ANZ, notes that the NZIER’s Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion improved in Q4, but the details are a touch softer than our own Business Outlook survey.

Key Quotes

“Headline business confidence improved in Q4 from post-2009 lows in Q3, but businesses remain pessimistic on balance.”

“Experienced domestic trading activity was unchanged at contractionary levels.”

“Several measures of capacity eased, while pricing intentions lifted – a bit of a mixed signal for the inflation outlook.”

“The RBNZ is unlikely to feel any sense of urgency around these numbers. Previous monetary easing and the promise of additional fiscal spending appear to be providing business some comfort.”

Author

Sandeep Kanihama

FXStreet Contributor

Sandeep Kanihama is an FX Editor and Analyst with FXstreet having principally focus area on Asia and European markets with commodity, currency and equities coverage. He is stationed in the Indian capital city of Delhi.

AUD/USD looks weaker, focus is back to 0.7100

AUD/USD reverses Tuesday’s gains and retreats markedly toward four-day troughs in the low 0.7100s ahead of the opening bell in Asia. The firmer tone in the Greenback weighs on the risk complex amid unabated tensions on the US-Iran front, prompting the Aussie to shed part of recent gains and refocus on the downside. Moving forward, Australian trade balance results should entertain investors early on Thursday.

Japanese Yen bounces up from lows after Japan PM Takaichi’s intervention warnings

The Japanese Yen bounced up from five-week lows against the US Dollar, turning positive on the daily chart, as Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned that Tokyo is ready to take action against Yen weakness. The USD/JPY pair has pulled back from the 160.00 level, considered a line in the sand for Japanese authorities, to hit session lows at 159.55.

Gold remains under bearish pressure, looks at $4,400

Gold keeps the offered stance well in place, retreating toward the $4,430 region per troy ounce, or four-day lows, on Wednesday. The yellow metal’s retracement comes in response to escalating tensions in the Middle East, which in turn continue to drive oil prices higher while reinforcing the idea of a tighter-for-longer Fed.

XRP eyes rebound despite muted ETF demand

Ripple (XRP) rebounds above $1.23 from support at $1.20 at the time of writing on Wednesday, as the broader cryptocurrency market pares losses triggered by escalating tensions in the Middle East. Appetite for risk assets remains generally low as the United States (US) and Iran exchange fire amid a fragile ceasefire and peace negotiations.

The upside-down math of debt

In 2010, Professors Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff published a paper, Growth in a Time of Debt, which instantly went viral. The main thesis of the paper was that once a government's debt-to-GDP ratio crosses above 90%, a financial crisis and default are around the corner.

Recession on paper: What really moves the Canadian Loonie now?

Statistics Canada handed the headline writers a gift and the analysts a headache. Real GDP shrank 0.1% on an annualized basis in the first quarter, and with the fourth quarter of 2025 revised down to a 1.0% contraction, that is two negative quarters in a row, the textbook definition of a technical recession and Canada's first since the pandemic.

NZ: Business Opinion improved in Q4 – ANZ

Key Quotes

Editor's Picks

AUD/USD looks weaker, focus is back to 0.7100

Japanese Yen bounces up from lows after Japan PM Takaichi’s intervention warnings

Gold remains under bearish pressure, looks at $4,400

XRP eyes rebound despite muted ETF demand

The upside-down math of debt

Recession on paper: What really moves the Canadian Loonie now?

Best Brokers in 2026

Key Quotes

Legal Text

Editor's Picks

Best Brokers in 2026