Investing.com - The New Zealand dollar hit a five-month low against its U.S. counterpart on Friday, as risk aversion arising from ongoing political uncertainty in Greece and weak Chinese economic data boosted safe haven demand for the greenback.
NZD/USD hit 0.7809 on Friday, the pair’s lowest since January 9; the pair subsequently consolidated at 0.7824 by close of trade, down 1.27% over the week.
The pair is likely to find support at 0.7775, the low of January 9 and resistance at 0.7878, Friday’s high.
Market sentiment was hit by increasing expectations that a fresh round of elections in Greece is inevitable, after attempts to form a coalition government failed.
On Friday, Alexis Tsipras the head of Greece’s largest anti-bailout party Syriza rejected a coalition with Socialists and Conservatives, fuelling concerns over the country’s ability to abide by the terms of its EUR130 billion bailout agreement.
Rating agency Fitch warned Friday that it would place the ratings of all euro zone members on review pending possible downgrades, if Greece was to exit the euro zone as a result of its current crisis.
Meanwhile, speculation over the health of Spain’s troubled banking system and the government’s ability to cut one of the largest deficits in the euro area also weighed on market sentiment.
Sentiment on the growth linked New Zealand dollar was also hit after weaker-than-expected Chinese industrial production data for April sparked concerns that demand for commodities could falter. China is New Zealand’s second largest trading partner.
The greenback also found support after U.S. data showed that consumer confidence hit a more than four-year high in May.
The University of Michigan said that its index of consumer sentiment rose to 77.8, from a reading of 76.4 in April, defying expectations for an unchanged reading.
A separate report showed that U.S. producer price inflation fell unexpectedly in April.
In the week ahead, investors will be watching developments in Greece as well as the first talks between the new French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, amid fears that Hollande’s focus on growth rather than austerity measures as a means to tackle the euro zone crisis could spark tensions with Germany.
In addition, the U.S. is to produce government data on retail sales and inflation, while the Federal Reserve is to publish the minutes of this month’s policy setting meeting.
Ahead of the coming week, Investing.com has compiled a list of these and other significant events likely to affect the markets.
Monday, May 14
New Zealand is to produce official data on retail sales, the primary gauge of consumer spending, which accounts for the majority of overall economic activity.
Later Monday, the U.S. is to produce a report on mortgage delinquencies, an important signal of the housing market’s health.
Tuesday, May 15
The U.S. is to publish official data on retail sales, the leading indicator of consumer spending, which accounts for the majority of overall economic activity. The country is also to publish official data on consumer price inflation, which accounts for a majority of overall inflation. Reports on manufacturing activity in New York, as well as U.S. net long-term securities transactions and business inventories are also due for release.
Wednesday, May 16
The U.S. is to produce official data on building permits and housing starts, followed by reports by the Federal Reserve on the capacity utilization rate and industrial production. Government data is also to be released on crude oil inventories ahead of the minutes of the Fed’s latest policy meeting.
Thursday, May 17
New Zealand is to release official data on producer price inflation input, an important indicator of consumer inflation.
Later in the day, the U.S. is to produce government data on unemployment claims, followed by a report on manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia area.
Friday, May 18
The members of the Group of Eight nations are to begin talks in Camp David, hosted by U.S. President Barak Obama.
NZD/USD hit 0.7809 on Friday, the pair’s lowest since January 9; the pair subsequently consolidated at 0.7824 by close of trade, down 1.27% over the week.
The pair is likely to find support at 0.7775, the low of January 9 and resistance at 0.7878, Friday’s high.
Market sentiment was hit by increasing expectations that a fresh round of elections in Greece is inevitable, after attempts to form a coalition government failed.
On Friday, Alexis Tsipras the head of Greece’s largest anti-bailout party Syriza rejected a coalition with Socialists and Conservatives, fuelling concerns over the country’s ability to abide by the terms of its EUR130 billion bailout agreement.
Rating agency Fitch warned Friday that it would place the ratings of all euro zone members on review pending possible downgrades, if Greece was to exit the euro zone as a result of its current crisis.
Meanwhile, speculation over the health of Spain’s troubled banking system and the government’s ability to cut one of the largest deficits in the euro area also weighed on market sentiment.
Sentiment on the growth linked New Zealand dollar was also hit after weaker-than-expected Chinese industrial production data for April sparked concerns that demand for commodities could falter. China is New Zealand’s second largest trading partner.
The greenback also found support after U.S. data showed that consumer confidence hit a more than four-year high in May.
The University of Michigan said that its index of consumer sentiment rose to 77.8, from a reading of 76.4 in April, defying expectations for an unchanged reading.
A separate report showed that U.S. producer price inflation fell unexpectedly in April.
In the week ahead, investors will be watching developments in Greece as well as the first talks between the new French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, amid fears that Hollande’s focus on growth rather than austerity measures as a means to tackle the euro zone crisis could spark tensions with Germany.
In addition, the U.S. is to produce government data on retail sales and inflation, while the Federal Reserve is to publish the minutes of this month’s policy setting meeting.
Ahead of the coming week, Investing.com has compiled a list of these and other significant events likely to affect the markets.
Monday, May 14
New Zealand is to produce official data on retail sales, the primary gauge of consumer spending, which accounts for the majority of overall economic activity.
Later Monday, the U.S. is to produce a report on mortgage delinquencies, an important signal of the housing market’s health.
Tuesday, May 15
The U.S. is to publish official data on retail sales, the leading indicator of consumer spending, which accounts for the majority of overall economic activity. The country is also to publish official data on consumer price inflation, which accounts for a majority of overall inflation. Reports on manufacturing activity in New York, as well as U.S. net long-term securities transactions and business inventories are also due for release.
Wednesday, May 16
The U.S. is to produce official data on building permits and housing starts, followed by reports by the Federal Reserve on the capacity utilization rate and industrial production. Government data is also to be released on crude oil inventories ahead of the minutes of the Fed’s latest policy meeting.
Thursday, May 17
New Zealand is to release official data on producer price inflation input, an important indicator of consumer inflation.
Later in the day, the U.S. is to produce government data on unemployment claims, followed by a report on manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia area.
Friday, May 18
The members of the Group of Eight nations are to begin talks in Camp David, hosted by U.S. President Barak Obama.