INDEPENDENT NEWS

NZ dollar outlook: Kiwi may fall on U.S. debt deal

Published: Mon 1 Aug 2011 01:52 PM
NZ dollar outlook: Kiwi may fall on U.S. debt deal
By Jason Krupp
Aug. 1 (BusinessDesk) - The New Zealand dollar, trading near a post-float high, may fall this week after U.S. policy makers tentatively agreed to a package of spending cuts that will allow the government to continue borrowing and avoid a default.
Four of the seven economists and market strategists polled by BusinessDesk saw the kiwi falling if U.S. reached a last minute deal. Two saw the currency gaining amid ongoing U.S. dollar weakness, while one saw the kiwi falling regardless of the deal as it corrects from being overbought.
The kiwi recently traded at 88.11 U.S. cents, and may trade between a median range of 86.36 U.S. cents and 89.25 cents this week, according to the poll although only two strategists were willing supply topside estimates.
The U.S. debt deal raises the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling through 2012, and will cut spending by an estimated $1 trillion, according to Bloomberg. In addition it calls for enactment of a law to cut another $1.5 trillion from long-term debt by 2021.
That's likely to see nervous investors who fled their U.S. dollar positions in anticipation of a default, return to the greenback, with the kiwi and other currencies such as the euro likely to fall as a consequence.
Irrespective of the deal, traders will be anxiously watching for announcements from the rating agencies to see if the U.S. will lose its triple-A credit rating, having already been placed on outlook negative by Moody's Investor Service and Standard & Poor's.
The likelihood of a cut was increased on Friday last week after U.S. growth numbers for the second quarter came in weaker than expected, with the world's biggest economy expanding 1.3% in the three month period, short of the 1.8% rise predicted. The sting in the data came with revision to first quarter gross domestic product numbers, with growth revised down to a 0.4% expansion from 1.9% previously.
"The reality is that even with a deal, the recent U.S. GDP data will be turning peoples' attention to the state of the U.S. economy," said Khoon Goh, head of market economics and strategy at Bank of New Zealand. "Irrespective of budget cuts, what is clear is that fiscal policy is going to be a huge drag on the U.S. economy at a time when it is losing momentum."
The Australian cross rate is likely to be in the spotlight this week, with the Reserve Bank of Australia set to make an announcement on its official interest rate tomorrow.
The market is broadly expecting the bank to keep rates on hold at 4.75%, although comments around the announcement are expected to be more hawkish after last week's Consumer Price Index accelerated at an annualised rate of 3.6%, surpassing expectations for a 3.4% gain. That was the biggest annual increase since 2008.
The Bank of England and the European Central Bank are also set to make official rates announcements this week.
The ECB is expected keep rates on hold at 1.5% as eurozone inflation falls, business confidence numbers slip and the market is plagued by uncertainties over how effective the Greek bail-out plan will ultimately be. Bank of England, facing the twin challenge of stalling economic growth and rising inflation, is also widely expected to keep rates on hold at 0.5%.
Commodity prices will also be in the spotlight this week, with the ANZ Commodity Price Index falling 0.1% in July after June’s 1.2% decline. That comes ahead Fonterra's GlobalDairyTrade auction on Wednesday, with economists seeing prices easing further after they fell 5.1% to US$3,796 a metric tonne at the previous sale two weeks ago.
Also on the domestic data radar this week will be the release of the Quarterly Employment Survey and Labour Cost Index, and the Household Labour Force Survey for the June quarter. The data is widely seen as showing an improvement into the local economy, although it is unlikely to move the currency, traders said.
(BusinessDesk)

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