NZD/USD bears step in at the highs and pressure SHORT

2 mar 2023

The NZD/USD currency pair has experienced a decline of approximately 0.27% from its high of 0.6257, falling to a low of 0.6238. This retracement occurred after a surge in commodity prices following the news of a Chinese demand revival. However, the Australian GDP growth slowed to 0.5% QoQ, missing consensus expectations of a 0.8% lift, which initially weighed on both the Australian and New Zealand currencies. The possibility of an earlier pause in hikes from the Reserve Bank of Australia also increased.

Despite this, the kiwi currency saw a surge in speculative buying after reports of China's Non-manufacturing activity growth at a faster pace in February, and the Caixin/S&P Global manufacturing PMI reading surpassing expectations. The offshore yuan also jumped 1.3% to 6.8683 per dollar, its largest one-day gain since late November. The kiwi currency outperformed most of its peers, especially on the NZD/AUD cross, according to analysts at ANZ Bank.

The EUR was another strong performer, boosted by the strong German CPI print, and the kiwi followed suit. Additionally, stop-loss buying on the NZD/AUD cross may have contributed to the price action. However, as there wasn't a clear catalyst for the kiwi's surge, the price action may subside in the coming days.

The USD vibe has also shifted as strong data last week resulted in the DXY rallying hard as bond yields increased. However, the recent run of solid data has weighed on the dollar in a "good news is bad news" manner, raising fears that the Fed will engineer a recession. The strength of the kiwi currency may be due to a belated recognition of economic resilience and cyclone rebuilding. Overall, the kiwi has performed well despite the recent retracement, and its strength may persist in the coming days.