RBNZ: New Zealand banks at little risk from interest rate rises

Anil Panchal FXStreet

“Banks in the country have relatively little risk from surging interest rates as they are required to hold sufficient capital to cover potential losses,” said Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) early Monday per Reuters.

The RBNZ released excerpt of its May 2023 Financial Stability Report amid the ongoing banking fears due to the First Republic bank’s latest fallout.

Also read: Sources: PNC, JPM putting in final bids for First Republic in FDIC auction

Additional statements

Banks in New Zealand ‘manage this risk by matching the repricing profile of their assets and liabilities, and by using financial products to hedge any differences.’

They are also required to hold sufficient capital to cover potential losses arising from any remaining interest rate risk, which incentivises banks to carefully manage the risk.

NZD/USD grinds

With the RBNZ’s assurance, the NZD/USD battles with the market’s risk-off mood, as well as downbeat China data, while making rounds to 0.6170-80 and prints mild gains by the pres time.

Author

Anil Panchal

FXStreet

Anil Panchal has nearly 15 years of experience in tracking financial markets. With a keen interest in macroeconomics, Anil aptly tracks global news/updates and stays well-informed about the global financial moves and their implications.

AUD/USD sticks to positive bias above 0.7100; lacks bullish conviction

AUD/USD trades with a positive bias for the second straight day, holding above 0.7100 in the Asian session on Friday as softer US bond yields keep US Dollar bulls on the back foot. Furthermore, hawkish RBA Governor Bullock's comments boost rate hike bets and support the Aussie. However, the Fed's hawkish outlook, along with geopolitical uncertainties, limits USD losses and caps the pair.

USD/JPY approaches 158.00 as Japanese Yen resumes decline

USD/JPY is resuming its upside in the European session on Friday, refreshing two-week highs and nearing 158.00. The Japanese Yen extends losses, despite the Bank of Japan's (BoJ) expected rate hike to 1.25% and hawkish Governor Ueda's comments, as two surprise dissents against the rate hike weigh on it.

Gold tests $$4,400 as softer US bond yields cap USD gains

Gold scales higher for the second straight day and continues to hit new weekly highs through the first half of the European session on Friday, with bulls now awaiting a sustained move beyond the $4,400 mark before positioning for further gains. Retreating US Treasury bond yields keep the US Dollar (USD) uptrend capped ahead of Fedspeak and mid-tier US data.

Bitcoin extends recovery, Ethereum eyes $2,500, XRP holds $1.30

Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Ripple (XRP) extend their recovery, trading above $76,700, $2,400 and $1.300, respectively, on Friday. These top three cryptocurrencies now face key technical levels that could determine whether their recoveries extend further or pull back.

Pi Network halts the decline amid KYC, mainnet migration upgrades

Pi Network (PI) edges higher on Friday after three consecutive days of losses, totaling a 15% decline. Pi Core Team announced clearing 417,000 duplicate accounts with the release of new Know Your Customer and mainnet migration upgrades. Still, the technical outlook for PI is bearish, with the record low of $0.0704 in focus.

How Japan became the World's Banker and why that era may be ending

Japan's ultra-low interest rates helped finance trillions of dollars in global investments for more than a decade, making the Japanese Yen one of the world’s cheapest sources of funding. With the Bank of Japan expected to tighten policy again this week, that advantage may be entering a new phase. While most major economies raised interest rates, Japan remained the world's outlier.