NZ Dollar Rises Amid Risk-on Mood

(RTTNews) - The New Zealand dollar strengthened against other major currencies in the Asian session on Friday amid risk appetite, as traders seemed cautious and await clarity on U.S. President Donald Trump's trade policies and the outcome of Ukraine peace talks.

Trump's harsh criticism of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy heightened tensions in the ongoing conflict. Trump called Zelensky a "dictator" after the latter said the U.S. president was "living in a disinformation space" governed by Moscow.

Crude oil prices settled higher on Thursday, as supply disruptions in Russia and drop in gasoline and distillate fuel stocks supported oil prices. West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures closed higher by $32 or 0.44 percent at $72.57 a barrel.

In the Asian trading today, the NZ dollar rose to a 2-day high of 86.90 against the yen, from yesterday's closing value of 86.90. The kiwi is likely to find resistance around the 90.00 region.

Against the U.S. and the Australian dollars, the kiwi advanced to more than a 2-month high of 0.5772 and a 3-day high of 1.1088 from Thursday's closing quotes of 0.5765 and 1.1107, respectively. If the kiwi extends its uptrend, it is likely to find resistance around 0.59 against the greenback and 1.09 against the aussie.

The kiwi edged up to 1.8191 against the Australian dollar, from yesterday's closing value of 1.8216. On the upside, 1.79 is seen as the next resistance around the 1.79 region.

Looking ahead, PMI reports from various European economies and U.K. for January are set to be published in the European session.

In the New York session, Canada retail sales data for December, U.S. S&P Global PMI data for February, U.S. existing home sales data for January, U.S. University of Michigan's consumer sentiment for February and U.S. Baker Hughes oil rig count data are slated for release.