Investing.com - The New Zealand dollar fell against its U.S. counterpart on Thursday, as demand for the greenback remained supported by a recent string of upbeat U.S. economic reports and as markets eyed upcoming U.S. jobless claims data.
NZD/USD hit 0.8453 during late Asian trade, the session low; the pair subsequently consolidated at 0.8463, shedding 0.17%.
The pair was likely to find support at 0.8424, Wednesday's low and resistance at 0.8531, the high of August 5.
The greenback remained supported after data on Wednesday showed that the U.S. trade deficit narrowed unexpectedly to $41.54 billion in June. It was the smallest deficit in five months as exports inched up 0.1% and imports fell 1.2%.
The report came one day after data showed that the U.S. service sector expanded at the fastest pace in more than three years in July, while a separate showed that U.S. factory orders rose 1.1% in June, above economists' forecasts of a 0.5% gain.
The kiwi had dropped to two-month lows against the greenback on Wednesday, after data showed that the number of employed people in New Zealand rose less than expected in the last quarter, although the unemployment rate fell more than markets had anticipated.
The New Zealand dollar was higher against its Australian counterpart, with AUD/NZD retreating 0.73% to 1.0951.
The Aussie came under pressure after official data earlier showed that the number of employed people in Australia fell by 300 in July, confounding expectations for an increase of 12,000. June's figure was revised down to a 14,900 gain from a previously estimated 15,900 rise.
The report also showed that Australia's unemployment rate rose to 6.4% last month, from 6.0% in June. Analysts had expected the unemployment rate to remain unchanged in July.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish the weekly report on initial jobless claims.