The Australian dollar got a fillip on Thursday as data showed the country's jobless rate fell to its lowest since 2012, though the detail was considered too mixed to bring forward the likely timing of any interest rate hike.
The currency firmed a third of a US cent to $0.7132 in the wake of the jobs figures, but faces tough resistance around $0.7150/60 which has defeated all attempts to break higher this week. The New Zealand dollar lapsed back to $0.6548, after topping out at $0.6602 overnight. New Zealand government bond yields followed with rises of 2 to 3 basis points. Australian government bond futures slipped, with the three-year bond contract off 4.5 ticks at 97.855. The 10-year contract lost 4 ticks to 97.2450.