The Australian dollar rallied on Tuesday after the country's central bank held interest rates steady and stayed upbeat on the economic outlook despite the impact of bushfires at home and the coronavirus in China.

The Aussie climbed 0.45% to $0.6720 and away from a four-month low of $0.6679, a modest bounce following almost three weeks of relentless selling.

It also just avoided a bearish break of October's trough of $0.6670, which would have taken it to territory last seen in early 2009.

The New Zealand dollar caught a slight lift to $0.6468 , up from a two-month trough of $0.6451.

The short-covering squeeze came when the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) kept its cash rate at a record low of 0.75% following the first policy meeting of the year.

Markets had priced in around a one-in-five chance of a cut given the economic damage done by a summer of raging wildfires and spreading epidemic in China.

RBA Governor Philip Lowe acknowledged both the challenges in a post-meeting statement, but argued they would only "temporarily weigh" on domestic growth.

Instead, he stuck with a forecast of 2.75% growth this year and 3% next, above most private forecasters. He did reiterate that the RBA stood ready to ease again if needed, following three cuts last year, but put no time frame on it.

Markets had aggressively ramped up wagers on further cuts as the economic fallout from the coronavirus spread. Futures still imply a 73% chance of a quarter-point move by April, rising to 100% by May.

Investors have also shifted sharply to price in the risk of yet a further easing, with a rate of 0.25% indicated at a 60% probability by November.

Yields on three-year government debt hit an all-time low of 0.553%, well under the overnight rate. Yields on 10-year notes have shed 48 basis points just this year to reach 0.890%. Bond futures eased modestly in the wake of the RBA decision, with the three-year bond contract off 4 ticks at 99.380. The 10-year contract dipped 1.5 ticks to 99.0500.