NZD/USD holds positive ground above 0.5950 ahead of US NFP data

• NZD/USD gains ground around 0.5965 on softer USD in Friday’s early Asian session. 
• There were 208,000 initial jobless claims in the US for the week ending April 27. 
• RBNZ stated there’s a risk that renewed inflation pressures could keep global interest rates high for longer.

The NZD/USD pair trades in positive territory for the third consecutive day near 0.5965 during the early Asian trading hours on Friday. The uptick of the pair is bolstered by the further selling pressure of the US Dollar (USD). The releases of the US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) and Unemployment Rate for April will be in the spotlight later on Friday. 

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits for the week ended April 27 held steady at a seasonally adjusted 208,000, better than the forecast of 212,000, the US Department of Labor (DOL) reported on Thursday.  

The US Federal Reserve (Fed) noted on Wednesday that inflation remained high in recent months and the Fed doesn’t plan to cut interest rates until it has “greater confidence” that price increases are easing sustainably to its 2% target. The Fed Chair Jerome Powell added that it “will take longer than previously expected. Investors now expect just one rate cut this year, in November, according to futures prices tracked by CME FedWatch. The delay rate cut prospect from the Fed provides some support to the USD and acts as a headwind for the NZD/USD pair. 

On the Kiwi front, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) said in its semi-annual Financial Stability Report on Wednesday that “global inflation is declining from elevated levels and financial markets have priced in lower policy rates over the next year.” Nonetheless, there is a risk that fresh or persistent inflationary pressures could cause global interest rates to stay restrictive for longer. The New Zealand central bank indicated that it doesn’t plan to pivot to monetary easing until 2025, as inflation pressures were higher than expected in the first quarter. This, in turn, continues to support the New Zealand Dollar (NZD) for the time being.