It's October 25, which means there are only 61 days until Christmas!! It's rolling into the time of year where everyone is either looking forward to a holiday or is madly planning one last minute because they are 100% done with this year. Regardless of which category you fall into, you are going to need foreign currency at one point or another. Que Travel Money NZ. Consider us your Christmas foreign exchange elf, working away to ensure you take off with more travel money on your next holiday.
It's been an interesting week for the Kiwi Dollar, as it has felt the effects of Brexit and the corresponding mood of investors as they adjust to Brexit developments. Last week the NZD was riding high off the back of investor confidence and a 'risk-on' attitude in markets. This week is slightly different, as the prospect of more Brexit uncertainty, next week's US interest rate decision and news from the Bank of Japan have changed the market mood. With this in mind, today, one NZD will get you:
0.6269 US dollars
67.1503 Japanese yen
0.5552 euros
0.4796 Great British pound
18.3403 Thai Baht
0.9139 Australian dollars
13,373.9 Vietnamese Dong
These rates are both good and bad. Good in the sense that they are all up on last week, bad because the NZD was the worst performing currency overnight and lost some of the gains it made earlier week. If you are buying foreign currency soon, we recommend adding Rate Move Guarantee to your purchase in-store. It's free, and if the rate improves within 14 days of purchase we will refund you the difference!*
What has impacted foreign exchange markets this week?
Europe News
This week the European Central Bank kept their interest rates and asset purchases on hold. Currently, they are purchasing 20 billion euros worth of assets each month, and markets expect this to become more aggressive as we roll into the new year. The asset purchases are in place to support and speed up the European economy.
This was the last meeting for current president Draghi, who closed off his time with a speech highlighting a gloomy assessment of the European economy, reiterating the need for stimulus to prevent further downside risks and improve inflation.
European data released this week supported his statement, coming in weaker than market expectations and showing that Germany is on the brink of economic recession.
The Euro is unsurprisingly weaker as a result of this, which means more mulled wine for you at Christmas markets on your winter euro trip.
Brexit
Whew, it's been a big week on the Brexit front. I've tried my best to recap and make it as painless as possible. Here goes nothing.
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On Saturday, UK parliament met to vote on Boris Johnson's Brexit deal. However, they instead ended up voting on a bill called the Letwin amendment, which says that Parliament won't support Johnson's Brexit deal until other bits of legislation required for the agreement is passed.
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As Johnson didn't get his deal passed by the deadline set by the Benn Act, he had to begrudgingly write to the EU asking for an extension until January 31. He sent an accompanying letter stating that he thought an extension was a huge mistake.
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On Monday Johnson published his 110-page agreement and requested three days of intense debate. This means MPs had to read and scrutinise the whole bill overnight, which is a tough task in anyone's books.
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MPs have begun a series of votes on the amendment (to get the legislation we mentioned above passed). He won the first vote which was around the legislation designed to implement the deal. Parliament also supported the Queen's speech, which is an outline of Johnson's policies around issues like pensions, the environment, domestic abuse and Brexit.
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MPs can now vote on specific amendments to Johnson's Brexit bill. This could drag on and potentially change the shape of the Brexit bill altogether.
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Yesterday Johnson announced plans for an early general election on December 12. His lack of working majority in Parliament is working against him, and preventing the approval of his Brexit agreement. The prospect of an election will be put to the vote in Parliament on Monday and requires a two-thirds majority to go ahead. At this stage, the Labour party is not supporting it.
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EU members are still debating the extension, and are expected to reveal their decision early next week. It is widely believed they will approve the extension; however, it is unknown if they will grant the full three months.
Whew, how did I go? If you're still unsure about all of this Brexit nonsense, we've got a whole page dedicated to explaining it.
All of these developments proved quite tumultuous for the value of the pound. It started strong against the Kiwi dollar, as markets were excited that progress was being made in terms of the Brexit deal and hopes of an extension. However, the prospect of a general election means more uncertainty which has played against the pound’s favour. Kiwi's rejoice though, as it means the NZD has seen upward pressure against the pound.
Japan
Overnight Bloomberg reported that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) is considering holding back on further monetary policy stimulus at their next policy meeting next week. BoJ officials said relative calm in financial markets and a lack of deterioration in market risk means there is a reduced need for stimulus.
This goes against broader market opinion, especially considering Japanese inflation is quite low, and there is a risk that the Japanese economy will contract in the last part of 2019.
Regardless of the market opinion, the BoJ announcement put upward pressure on the value of the Japanese yen against the Kiwi dollar.
USA/ China trade talks
There haven't been any huge developments in the trade war this week, as high-level talks are set to resume today. Negotiators are working towards the final phase of the trade agreement in time for the APEC summit in Chile next month.
Fingers crossed this all goes to plan, as good news on the trade war front supports the value of the New Zealand dollar. This is not just because of our close ties to the Chinese economy, but also because a trade deal will make investors more confident in the NZD.
Next week will, no doubt, bring plenty more developments that will influence the humble Kiwi dollar. Until then, enjoy your weekend and get started on that Christmas shopping. It will be here before you know it.
This blog is provided for information only and does not take into consideration your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider whether the information and suggestions contained in any blog entry are appropriate for you, having regard to your own objectives, financial situation and needs. While we take reasonable care in providing the blog, we give no warranties or representations that it is complete or accurate, or is appropriate for you. We are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise, arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information and/or suggestions contained in this blog. All rates are quoted from the Travel Money NZ website and are valid as of October 25 2019. Terms and conditions apply to Rate Move Guarantee.
