The Australian and New Zealand dollars fell on Wednesday as a shockingly weak reading on China's manufacturing activity dealt a further blow to risk sentiment, sending stocks and commodities reeling. The Aussie dollar dropped to a fresh six-week trough at $0.9756, extending losses for the month to over 7 percent. It last traded at $0.9768 with traders highlighting stops below $0.9750. Support is seen at a weekly double-bottom under $0.9730.
The New Zealand dollar slipped to $0.7442, having touched a fresh eight-month low of $0.7420 at one stage. The Antipodeans were under pressure against the euro and safe haven yen. The Aussie hovered at six-month lows on the euro and six-week trough on the yen, while the kiwi revisited an eight-month low at 57.18 yen, before managing to regain 57.30 yen.