The Australian dollar was little changed on Thursday as it failed to hold gains after a sharp rebound in retail sales prompted markets to see an increased chance of a rate hike in the near term, while the New Zealand dollar slipped. The Aussie gained a third of a cent and reached a session high of $1.0665 after a surprisingly sharp rebound in retail sales in April.
The Australian dollar was last hovering around $1.0610, but off a one-week low of $1.0594 struck overnight after a sell-off in risky assets. The NZ dollar retreated to around $0.8115 from its late New York level around $0.8144, as investors sought safe havens and ditched risky positions.