The Australian dollar was boosted by stronger-than-expected trade numbers on Thursday, a big positive for the economy and a stark contrast to its New Zealand neighbour which shed half a cent on Thursday following a surprise jump in unemployment.
The Australian dollar edged up at $1.0104, off an overnight low of $1.0055. It hit a session high of $1.0122 when trade data showed a surplus of A$1.98 billion in December against a forecast of A$1.6 billion.
The New Zealand dollar recouped some losses after diving more than half a cent to a session low of $0.7716 following poor jobs data on Thursday. Against the euro, the NZ dollar fell to NZ$1.7857 from NZ$1.7730 before the data. The kiwi also weakened against the yen after the disappointing job data.