• NZD/USD extends gains after softer US employment data released on Thursday.
• The Kiwi Building Permit (MoM) improved to 3.7% against the previous decline of 10.6%.
• Investors await more US labor data scheduled to be released on Friday, including US Average Hourly Earnings and NFP.

NZD/USD continues to gain ground for the second trading session on Friday, improving to near 0.6150 during the Asian hours. The depreciation of the US Dollar (USD) could be attributed to the subdued US Treasury yields. US Treasury yields experienced downward pressure amid concerns regarding regional US banks. Additionally, the improved medium-impact data from New Zealand could have provided some support for the New Zealand (NZD) and, consequently, acted as a tailwind for the NZD/USD pair.

The US Dollar Index (DXY), an index to measure the performance of the US Dollar (USD) against a group of six major different currencies, struggles to retrace its recent losses. The DXY hovers around 103.00 with the 2-year and 10-year yields on US Treasury bonds hovering around 4.21% and 3.88%, at the time of writing.

Furthermore, the US Dollar (USD) encountered downward pressure after the release of mixed economic data from the United States (US) on Thursday. Initial Jobless Claims for the week ending on January 26 increased to 224K, exceeding the previous rise of 215K and the expected figure of 212K. However, the ISM Manufacturing PMI showed improvement, climbing to 49.1 from the prior reading of 47.1, surpassing the anticipated figure of 47.0 in January. Additional labor data, including US Average Hourly Earnings and Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP), is scheduled for release on Friday.

On the New Zealand front, the seasonally adjusted Building Permit (MoM) for December exhibited improvement at 3.7%, reversing a previous decline of 10.6% in November. Additionally, ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence for December came in at 93.6, compared to the previous reading of 93.1.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) emphasizes a target of around the 2% midpoint for future inflation. Investors await New Zealand’s labor market data next week to gain further cues on the country’s economic landscape.