SYDNEY: The Australian and New Zealand dollars were looking on Friday likely to end a tough week on a steadier note after their US counterpart was sideswiped by surprisingly soft retail data, which also offered a helping hand to bonds. The Aussie was holding at $0.6517, leaving it steady on the week and well away from a three-month low of $0.6443. It now faces stiff resistance around $0.6543 and the 200-day moving average of $0.6567.

The kiwi dollar stood at $0.6104, again barely changed for the week but above a trough of $0.6048. Resistance lies around $0.6127 and $0.6158.

The kiwi weathered a brief dip when Reserve Bank of New Zealand Governor Adrian Orr skipped a chance to talk about possible rate hikes in a speech early on Friday.Orr noted there was still work to do on bringing core inflation lower but also conceded the central bank was worried about the risk of overtightening policy.