NZD/USD advances beyond mid-0.6000s, highest since August amid sustained USD selling
- NZD/USD scales higher for the third straight day and climbs to over a three-month peak.
- Bets that the Fed is done raising rates continue to undermine the USD and lend support.
- The optimism over more stimulus from China also lends support to the antipodean Kiwi.
The NZD/USD pair attracts some follow-through buying for the third successive trading day on Tuesday and touched its highest level since August 11, around the 0.6060 area during the Asian session.
The US Dollar (USD) selling bias remains unabated in the wake of growing acceptance that the Federal Reserve (Fed) was done with its policy-tightening campaign. Moreover, the markets are now pricing in the possibility that the Fed will start cutting rates soon, as early as March 2024. This leads to a further decline in the US Treasury bond yields and drags the USD to a near three-month low, which, in turn, is seen as a key factor that continues to push the NZD/USD pair higher
Apart from this, the optimism over additional stimulus from China undermines the safe-haven buck and benefits antipodean currencies, including the New Zealand Dollar (NZD). In fact, Chinese officials vowed to roll out more policy support for the country’s beleaguered real estate sector. Furthermore, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) held its benchmark Loan Prime Rate (LPR) near record lows on Monday and also injected about 80 billion Yuan of liquidity into the economy.
Despite the supporting factors, the NZD/USD pair is struggling to capitalize on the move beyond the 0.6050-0.6055 supply zone. Traders now seem reluctant to place aggressive bets and prefer to wait on the sidelines ahead of the FOMC meeting minute, due for release later during the US session amid the uncertainty over the timing when the Fed will begin cutting rates. Investors will get a fresh insight into policymakers' view on whether the US central bank should raise interest rates again.
The outlook, meanwhile, will play a key role in influencing the near-term USD price dynamics and provide some meaningful impetus to the NZD/USD pair. Heading into the event risk, the US economic docket, featuring the release of Existing Home Sales data, will be looked upon to grab short-term opportunities during the early North American session.
Technical levels to watch
Author
Haresh Menghani
FXStreet
Haresh Menghani is a detail-oriented professional with 10+ years of extensive experience in analysing the global financial markets.
