NZD/USD extends its losses to near 0.6100 as risk aversion emerges

NZD/USD continues its losing streak for the third consecutive day on Thursday. The pair trades around 0.6100 during European hours, following the release of the Yearly Budget by the New Zealand Treasury. According to the official transcript from the New Zealand Government's website (www.beehive.govt.nz), Finance Minister Nicola Willis stated that Budget 2024 outlines the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy, ease the cost of living, improve health and education services, and restore law and order.

New Zealand Government endures savings of $23 billion over four years to responsibly fund tax relief and provide an additional boost to priority frontline services. A $7 billion boost to capital funding, via a top-up to the Multi-Year Capital Allowance, so we can invest in the infrastructure needed for future growth and resilience.

New Zealand Finance Minister Nicola Willis stated that the Treasury sees inflation falling to below 3% in Q3 and easing to 2% around 2026. The New Zealand treasury sees NZ GDP contracting in H1 2024, and growth in H2 2024.

On USD’s front, the hawkish remarks from US Federal Reserve (Fed) officials have heightened concerns about potential rate hikes, fueling risk aversion sentiment. This supported the US Dollar (USD), undermining the NZD/USD pair.

However, the downward correction in the US Treasury yields put pressure on the US Dollar, limiting the losses of the NZD/USD pair. Traders await the release of US Gross Domestic Product Annualized (Q1) data on Thursday and the Core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index data on Friday.