NZD/USD rises ahead of retail sales

• New Zealand retail sales expected to decline by 0.8%
• US markets closed for Thanksgiving

The New Zealand dollar is in positive territory on Thursday. Early in the North American session, NZD/USD is trading at 0.6042, up 0.34%.

Will New Zealand retail sales continue declining?

Retail sales are a key gauge of consumer spending and the New Zealand consumer has been holding tightly to the purse strings. In the second quarter, retail sales fell 1% q/q, with most retail industries showing lower sales volumes. This marked a third consecutive losing quarter. The markets are bracing for another decline for Q3, with a consensus estimate of -0.8%.

The soft retail sales data isn't really surprising as consumers are being squeezed by high inflation and elevated borrowing costs. The decrease in household purchasing power has meant a decline in spending. High interest rates are still filtering through the economy, which could further dampen consumer spending in the fourth quarter.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has put a pause on rates for three straight times, which has naturally raised speculation that the central bank has completed its tightening cycle, which has brought the cash rate to 5.5%. Inflation in the third quarter eased from 6.0% to 5.6% y/y in the third quarter and this decline means that there is a strong likelihood that the RBNZ will hold rates at the November 27^th meeting.

US markets are closed for the Thanksgiving holiday, which means we're unlikely to see much movement today with the US dollar. That could change on Friday, with the release of US manufacturing and services PMIs. The consensus estimates for November stand at 49.8 for manufacturing (Oct: 50.0) and 50.4 for services (Oct. 49.8). If either of the PMIs miss expectations, that could translate into volatility from the US dollar.

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NZD/USD Technical

• NZD/USD is putting pressure on resistance at 0.6076. The resistance line 0.6161
• There is support at 0.5996 and 0.5885