NZD/USD – US retail sales decline, PPI softens, New Zealand GDP next

The New Zealand dollar is in negative territory on Wednesday, ending a 3-day rally that saw NZD/USD climb 160 points. In the North American session, NZD/USD is trading at 0.6205, down 0.50%.

New Zealand GDP projected to contract in Q4

New Zealand releases fourth-quarter GDP later today, with the markets braced for a slowdown compared to Q3. GDP is expected to decline 0.2% q/q in Q4, compared to a 2% gain in Q3. On an annualized basis, the consensus stands at 3.3% growth, down sharply from 6.4% in Q3.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has been aggressive in its tightening, raising the cash rate to 4.75%. The central bank is in an all-out battle against inflation, but success remains elusive as inflation remains stickier than anticipated. In the fourth quarter, inflation came in at 7.2%, the same as in Q3 and a tick lower than the 7.3% gain in Q2. The sharp rise in rates hasn’t eased inflation but has hurt the economy. Retail sales for Q4 fell 0.6%, after an upwardly revised gain of 0.6% in Q3, and manufacturing sales fell sank to -0.4% in Q4, after a 5.0% gain in the third quarter. A weak GDP report will likely result in more criticism of the central bank’s rate policy, which is causing economic damage but has failed to rein in inflation.

The road from 7% inflation to the RBNZ’s target of 1-3% promises to be a long and bumpy journey, and the markets are expecting the central bank to raise rates as high as 5.25% in mid-2023 before taking a pause. That means more misery for households and businesses who are grappling with the double whammy of rising interest rates and red-hot inflation.

In the US, today’s numbers were dismal. The retail sales headline figure came in at -0.4% m/m, missing the estimate of -0.3% and well off the January reading of an upwardly revised 3.2%. The core rate slowed as expected to -0.1%, after an upwardly revised 2.4% gain in January. The Producer Price Index also slowed in February and the NY Empire State Manufacturing Index fell by -24.6, compared to -5.8 prior.  These unimpressive numbers have lent support to the case for a pause from the Fed at the next meeting. Currently, the markets have priced in the likelihood of a 25 bp hike or a pause at close to 50/50.

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NZD/USD Technical

  • NZD/USD is testing support at 0.6212. Below, there is support at 0.6149
  • 0.6290 and 0.6353 are the next resistance lines

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Kenny Fisher

Kenny Fisher

Market Analyst at OANDA
A highly experienced financial market analyst with a focus on fundamental analysis, Kenneth Fisher’s daily commentary covers a broad range of markets including forex, equities and commodities. His work has been published in several major online financial publications including Investing.com, Seeking Alpha and FXStreet. Based in Israel, Kenny has been a MarketPulse contributor since 2012.