NZDUSD Exchange Rate

The Commerce Department released a report on Wednesday showing a pullback by U.S. wholesale inventories in the month of March. The report said wholesale inventories fell by 0.4 percent in March after rising by 0.2 percent in February. The decrease by wholesale inventories matched economist estimates.

Mortgage applications in the U.S. saw a notable rebound in the week ended May 3rd, according to a report released by the Mortgage Bankers Association on Wednesday.

The Australian dollar weakened against other major currencies in the Asian session on Wednesday amid risk aversion, as traders largely refrained from making significant moves after hawkish comments from a few U.S. Fed officials again raised concerns about the outlook for interest rates.

The U.S. dollar strengthened against other major currencies in the Asian session on Wednesday.

The Dollar Index, which gauges the value of the Greenback against a basket of 6 major currencies, climbed to 105.77 from 105.57 after the US PCE report showed price pressures remain elevated.

The Dollar Index, a popular gauge of the Greenback’s value against a basket of 6 major currencies, steadied to close at 106.11 (106.15 Friday).

The market's attention has shifted from Middle East tensions to remarks made by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Powell's recent speech signals that the U.S. central bank may opt to maintain interest rates at elevated levels for an extended period, given the backdrop of robust economic indicators and surprisingly high inflation readings.

The New Zealand dollar has plummeted to a five-month low, with the NZD/USD pair touching the 0.5890 mark. This decline was triggered by the release of robust American retail sales data, which raised concerns that the Federal Reserve might delay interest rate cuts expected in 2024.