New Zealand Dollar slides for a seventh straight day as markets await US PCE data

NZD/USD trades around 0.5640, declining for a seventh consecutive day and hovering near its lowest levels since November 2025. The pair remains under pressure in an environment dominated by a resilient US Dollar (USD) and persistent risk aversion across financial markets.

The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the performance of the Greenback against a basket of currencies, recently hit its highest level since May 2025 following the hawkish pivot delivered by the Federal Reserve (Fed) last week. Nine of the nineteen members of the Fed's committee indicated that a rate hike could prove necessary to contain sticky inflation. Futures markets now price in roughly a 65% chance of a rate increase in September, up from 40% a month ago, according to the CME FedWatch tool.

On the geopolitical front, lingering uncertainty surrounding Iran's nuclear programme and the management of the Strait of Hormuz continues to unsettle investors, to the detriment of risk-sensitive currencies such as the New Zealand Dollar (NZD).

That said, the easing of Crude Oil prices introduces a layer of ambiguity into monetary policy expectations. The resumption of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, combined with a temporary sixty-day waiver granted by Washington authorizing the production and sale of Iranian Oil, has pushed prices back near pre-conflict levels. This normalization alleviates upstream inflationary pressure, which could prompt traders to scale back their Fed rate hike expectations and, in turn, cap the US Dollar's near-term upside potential.

Against this backdrop, market attention is now squarely focused on the release of the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, due later in the day. Consensus expectations point to an acceleration in headline PCE inflation to 4.1% YoY in May, from 3.8% in April, with the core reading edging up to 3.4% from 3.3% the previous month. A stronger-than-expected print would reinforce the case for a rate hike later this year and provide additional support for the US Dollar, weighing further on NZD/USD.

On the New Zealand side, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) has adopted a more restrictive stance, limiting the Kiwi's losses. The central bank signaled that the Official Cash Rate (OCR) could reach approximately 2.85% by year-end, implying up to three additional rate hikes. This hawkish bias from the RBNZ underpins the New Zealand Dollar and warrants caution before positioning for further downside in the pair.