Skip to content

CFDs are complex financial instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. CFDs are complex financial instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

NZD/USD fails to move past key resistance on strong retail sales

Sterling up on new election polls. EUR/USD holding near critical technical support levels.

NZD/USD forex trading Source: Bloomberg

The New Zealand dollar failed to rally past key resistance levels on Monday despite a report showing retail sales advancing at a much stronger rate than expected.

Retail sales in New Zealand rose 1.6% on an inflation-adjusted basis in the third quarter from the previous quarter, a far stronger advance than the 0.5% expected increase. Retail sales were up 4.5% year-over-year, much more than the second quarter rise of 2.9%.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) kept its official interest rate steady at the last rate setting meeting two weeks ago, after surprising the market with a big half percentage point cut in August. The retail sales numbers bolster the case for at least a neutral bias for New Zealand official interest rates and supported Kiwi on a day the greenback was generally higher against other currencies. RBNZ’s official rate is at 1%, a record low.

NZD/USD traded above its 100-hour moving average just after the retail sales release but remained below critical resistance, which is at the 100-day moving average around $0.6422. Kiwi was little changed on the day in late New York trade, quoted around $0.6420 after several attempts to break through that key $0.6422 resistance failed.

Election polls

Sterling had its best day in nearly two weeks, advancing on news of an election poll showing Boris Johnson’s Conservatives continuing to hold on to a strong lead ahead of the early December election.

But in a widely covered speech, former Prime Minister Tony Blair warned that there will still exist considerable uncertainty even if Johnson gains a strong majority. Blair correctly pointed out that Johnson will have to again negotiate with the EU since the last agreement he reached expired with parliament failing to back the it.

Nevertheless, analysts and investors remain overwhelmingly Sterling bulls, with big bank research report after report forecasting that a deal will be reached and for sterling to be strong in 2020. Swiss banking giant UBS, for example, says it expects a big Conservative victory and that the pound will trade as high as $1.32 in the first quarter.

It’s important to note that when sentiment is overwhelmingly one-sided as it is now in sterling, such a development is in fact considered a contrary indicator, revealing as it does a high degree of complacency toward risk levels.

GBP/USD traded near the $1.29 level in late New York trade, up nearly half a percent on the day.

Holding support

The euro managed to defend key support levels around $1.10 against the US dollar, aided somewhat by a German sentiment survey that showed businesses expect growth in the EU’s largest economy to pick up in the fourth quarter, after avoiding recession by the narrowest of margins in the Q3.

EUR/USD was trading around $1.1015 in late New York trade, little changed on the day.


This information has been prepared by IG, a trading name of IG Limited. In addition to the disclaimer below, the material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients.
CFDs are a leveraged products. CFD trading may not be suitable for everyone and can result in losses that exceed your initial deposit, so please ensure that you fully understand the risks involved.

Live prices on most popular markets

  • Forex
  • Shares
  • Indices

Prices above are subject to our website terms and agreements. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 15 mins.

Plan your trading week

Get the week’s market-moving news sent directly to your inbox every Friday. The Week Ahead gives you a full calendar of upcoming economic events, as well as commentary from our expert analysts on the key markets to watch.

For more info on how we might use your data, see our privacy notice and access policy and privacy webpage.

You might be interested in…

Find out what charges your trades could incur with our transparent fee structure.

Discover why so many clients choose us, and what makes us a world-leading provider of CFDs.

Stay on top of upcoming market-moving events with our customisable economic calendar.