The Australian and New Zealand dollars hit multi-day lows on Friday and were poised to finish the week in the red as traders wagered interest rates in both countries will remain at record lows for a long time to come. The Australian dollar fell as deep as $0.7707, the lowest since April 10. It was last down 0.2 percent at $0.7712. The retreat came as the Aussie again tested the 200-day moving average at $0.7815 only to run into heavy speculative selling.
Its New Zealand cousin capped its fourth down day at $0.7240, a level not seen since early April. The kiwi has already lost about 1.5 percent so far this week. New Zealand government bonds eased, sending yields 3 basis points higher at the long end of the curve.
Australian government bond futures fell, with the three-year bond contract down half a tick at 97.725. The 10-year contract slipped 3.5 ticks to 97.1700.