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NZD/USD oscillates in a narrow range below 0.6200 ahead of RBNZ rate decision

  • NZD/USD consolidates around 0.6170 in Wednesday’s early Asian session. 
  • The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) is expected to keep the interest rate steady at 5.50% in February. 
  • Hawkish comments from Fed Governor Bowman and Kansas City Fed President Schmid provided little support to the USD. 
  • The US GDP growth numbers for Q4 will be due later on Wednesday. 

The NZD/USD pair oscillates in a narrow trading range above the mid-0.6100s during the early Asian session on Wednesday. Investors prefer to wait on the sidelines ahead of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) Interest Rate Decision, with no change in rate expected. At press time, NZD/USD is trading at 0.6170, gaining 0.06% on the day. 

The RBNZ is expected to keep the Official Cash Rate (OCR) steady at 5.50% for the fifth meeting in a row. However, the possibility of a rate hike cannot be ruled out. Investors will monitor RBNZ Governor Adrian Orr’s press conference, which might offer some hints about the monetary policy and inflation outlook. If the New Zealand central bank surprises markets with a 25 basis points (bps) rate hike, the New Zealand Dollar (NZD) might attract some buyers. On the other hand, the dovish comments from RBNZ could drag the NZD lower and create a headwind for the NZD/USD pair. 

On the USD’s front, hawkish comments from Federal Reserve (Fed) officials provided little support to the US Dollar (USD). Fed Governor Bowman said inflation will continue to decline with interest rates held at current levels, but it is not yet time to start lowering rates, while Kansas City Fed President Schmid stated that there is no need to preemptively adjust the stance of monetary policy as inflation is running above target, labor markets are tight, and demand is showing considerable momentum. 

Investors will closely watch the US Gross Domestic Product Annualized for the fourth quarter (Q4) on Wednesday, along with preliminary Goods Trade Balance, Fed’s Bostic, Collins, and Williams speeches. The attention will shift to the Fed's preferred inflation measure, the Personal Consumption Expenditures Index (PCE) report on Thursday. The stronger-than-expected data might lift the Greenback and cap the upside of the NZD/USD pair. 

NZD/USD

Overview
Today last price0.6171
Today Daily Change-0.0001
Today Daily Change %-0.02
Today daily open0.6172
 
Trends
Daily SMA200.6126
Daily SMA500.618
Daily SMA1000.6091
Daily SMA2000.6077
 
Levels
Previous Daily High0.6201
Previous Daily Low0.6162
Previous Weekly High0.6219
Previous Weekly Low0.6122
Previous Monthly High0.6339
Previous Monthly Low0.6061
Daily Fibonacci 38.2%0.6177
Daily Fibonacci 61.8%0.6186
Daily Pivot Point S10.6156
Daily Pivot Point S20.6139
Daily Pivot Point S30.6117
Daily Pivot Point R10.6195
Daily Pivot Point R20.6217
Daily Pivot Point R30.6234

Author

Lallalit Srijandorn

Lallalit Srijandorn is a Parisian at heart. She has lived in France since 2019 and now becomes a digital entrepreneur based in Paris and Bangkok.

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