NZD/USD softens to near 0.5650 as US government looks to reopen

NZD/USD weakens to around 0.5655 in Thursday’s Asian session.
The US House passes a bill to end the government shutdown.
The New Zealand Dollar is the worst-performing Group-of-10 currency versus the dollar in 2025.

Lallalit Srijandorn FXStreet

The NZD/USD pair declines to near 0.5655 during the Asian trading hours on Thursday. The US Dollar (USD) strengthens against the New Zealand Dollar (NZD) after the US House passes a bill to end the government shutdown. Traders await the Chinese October Retail Sales and Industrial Production reports, which will be released later on Friday.

The House of Representatives voted 222 to 209 to approve a funding package and end the longest government shutdown in US history on Wednesday. It comes after the Senate voted to pass the bill on Monday. The bill will head to US President Donald Trump’s desk for signature. The legislation extends funding for most agencies until January 30 and includes three full-year funding bills for other parts of the government.

Nonetheless, the reopening will lead to an avalanche of US economic data releases that were delayed due to the shutdown, including the highly anticipated monthly employment report. Traders believe that resumption of economic data will point to a slowing economy and that would prompt the Federal Reserve (Fed) to reduce interest rates in December, which might weigh on the Greenback.

The Kiwi is on the brink of becoming the first major developed-market currency to lose gains versus the US Dollar this year, as aggressive Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) interest-rate cuts weigh on sentiment amid a weakening economy.

The New Zealand central bank cut its Official Cash Rate (OCR) by 50 basis points (bps) to 2.5% in the October meeting, following weaker-than-expected GDP data. Recent data revealed that the New Zealand Unemployment Rate rose to a near nine-year high of 5.3%, which supports the case for further RBNZ rate reductions. This, in turn, might continue to undermine the NZD against the USD in the near term.

New Zealand Dollar FAQs

What key factors drive the New Zealand Dollar?

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.

How do decisions of the RBNZ impact the New Zealand Dollar?

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.

How does economic data influence the value of the New Zealand Dollar?

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.

How does broader risk sentiment impact the New Zealand Dollar?

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.

Author

Lallalit Srijandorn

FXStreet

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.

GBP/USD: Daily gains remain capped by 1.3650

GBP/USD leaves behind Monday’s pessimism and advances marginally on Tuesday. Cable’s humble gains, however, appear to have met quite a decent resistance in the 1.3650 zone for now, in a context of a slight selling pressure hovering around the Greenback.

EUR/USD struggles to regain pace; gyrates around 1.1670

EUR/USD clinches humble gains around 1.1670 following Tuesday’s close on Wall Street. Indeed, marginal losses in the US Dollar encourages spot to set aside two dauly pullbacks in a row and maintain the 1.1700 barrier on the cross-hairs for now. Moving forward, US inflation tracked by the PCE and another revision of Q2 GDP data should keep investors entertained on Wednesday.

$4700 back on Gold buyers’ radar as US core PCE inflation data looms

Gold is heading back toward the fresh 15-week highs of $4,697 in Wednesday’s Asian trades, reversing a brief dip below the $4,650 level. Gold buyers find renewed strength from a broadly subdued US Dollar (USD), as they look to reposition ahead of the US core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index data for July.

Bitcoin pauses near $80,000, Ethereum at $2,500, XRP below $1.50

Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Ripple (XRP) are facing downside pressure near key psychological thresholds as last week's double-digit rally loses momentum. The pullback reflects near-term corrective measures as traders book profits. Bitcoin trades near $78,760 at press time on Wednesday, maintaining its bullish bias after last week's 23% rally.

America’s self‑inflicted trade wound

I’m conflicted about the trade war that the U.S. has started with Canada. Let’s be clear: any representation that Canada has been taking unfair advantage of the U.S. or that they have been treating us badly for years is a bogus characterization. In reality, the shoe is on the other foot. It’s the U.S. that has been behaving badly.

Canada hits US goods with tariffs; The rate market sees a problem

On September 8, Canada begins charging its own importers 15%, 25% and 50% on roughly 700 lines of American goods. The measure is billed as dollar for dollar, and on the arithmetic of covered trade it is. What it is not is a tax on the United States.