SYDNEY: The Australian and New Zealand dollars fell on Tuesday against the greenback, on fresh concerns about the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, hurting sentiment and risk-sensitive currencies.

The Aussie, a proxy for risk appetite, fell 0.55% to $0.7096 , the lowest since Dec. 7. It faces resistance at about $0.718 and has immediate support around $0.705, before facing its recent yearly low of $0.699.

The kiwi was likewise 0.16% lower at $0.6740, before touching a yearly low of $0.6735.

Uncertainty about the Omicron coronavirus variant rattled investors who sought the safety of haven assets like the US dollar and bonds, which also benefited from expectations of a hawkish Federal Reserve meeting this week.

Stocks across Asia fell as health authorities in China fight the spread of Omicron, while Britain reported the first death from the variant.

The Fed is expected to announce on Wednesday it will wrap up its bond buying stimulus sooner than previously communicated, potentially setting up earlier interest rate increases next year.

Both Australian and New Zealand bonds made gains, with 10-year yields of Australian government bonds trading 7 basis points lower to 1.546%, while three-year yields fell five basis points to 0.856%, a weekly low.

New Zealand bonds were also higher, pushing yields between three and four basis points lower across the curve.