The Aussie dipped on Thursday as a disappointing jobs report added to expectations of further rate cuts, while the kiwi dollar was a touch firmer ahead of key events in Europe. The Australia dollar slipped across the board after a closely watched employment report showed a dip of 6,300 in November, missing forecasts of a 10,000 rise, while the jobless rate rose a tick to 5.3 percent.
The local currency fell to a session low of $1.0233, from $1.0286 in New York, before paring losses to$1.0260. Still, with stocks across Asia in the red, the Aussie is holding up rather well. For now, figures to watch for the Aussie, which has gained 6 percent since hitting a trough of $0.9664 on November 23, are around $1.0220 for support and $1.0305/10.335 on the topside.
The New Zealand dollar was rooted to the spot around $0.7800, against $0.7786 in late New York trading, as the country's central bank held rates at a record low. RBNZ governor Bollard dropped an explicit reference to higher rates contained in previous statements and said the bank's forecasts pointed to a "gentle rise" is rates from the middle of 2012. The kiwi also drew support from investors selling the Aussie after the soft jobs data, which sent the cross rate down around 0.4 percent to NZ$1.3140.
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