On Thursday the Australian dollar hit one-week high and the New Zealand dollar edged up to two-week highs against their U.S.
counterpart, helped by the release of better-than-expected
Chinese manufacturing data and as markets awaited upcoming U.S. economic
reports.
NZD/USD hit 0.6429 during late Asian trade, the pair's highest since September 18; the pair subsequently consolidated at 0.6402, adding 0.11%.
AUD/USD hit 0.7067 during late Asian trade, the pair's highest since September 23; the pair subsequently consolidated at 0.7059, gaining 0.56%.
Data earlier showed that China's manufacturing purchasing managers' index rose to 49.8 in September from 49.7 the previous month. Analysts had expected the index to slip to 49.6 last month.
China is Australia's biggest export partner and the second biggest for New Zealand.
Meanwhile, investors awaited upcoming reports on U.S. jobless claims and manufacruring activity due later in the day, amid lack of clarity on whether or not the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates before the end of the year.
