By Cecile Lefort and Charlotte Greenfield
SYDNEY/WELLINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) - The Australian and New Zealand dollars fell on Wednesday as a bounce from recent lows was stymied by heavy chart resistance and speculation U.S. interest rates could rise as early as June.
The Australian dollar AUD=D4 slipped to $0.7293, from $0.7326 early on and a peak of $0.7368 touched on Wednesday. It met a wall of resistance near $0.7380-$0.7410, having failed five times this month to make a sustained breakthrough that range.
It was unable to hold gains made on Tuesday when minutes of the May meeting of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) wrong-footed some investors, prompting the market to trim the chance of an interest rate cut.
Interbank futures 0#YIB: are pricing a 26 percent chance of a cut in July, from 36 percent on Tuesday, though they are still fully priced for a move by the end of the year.
Also undermining the Aussie was rising expectations the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) may raise rates later this year. reversal in overnight risk sentiment on the back of hawkish U.S. Fed rhetoric has temporarily capped the short term Aussie momentum," said Stephen Innes, a senior currency trader at FX and CFD firm OANDA Australia and Asia Pacific.
The New Zealand dollar NZD=D4 was also caught up in the Fed downdraft after two days of gains. It eased to $0.6791, having been repelled by major resistance near $0.6845.
Even a lift in prices at a global dairy trade auction held overnight failed to boost the kiwi.
Global milk prices rose 2.6 percent, but provided little surprise to investors given they were in line with dairy futures pricing. Aussie pared gains versus its Kiwi neighbour to NZ$1.0733, from a peak of NZ$1.0805 touched on Tuesday.
New Zealand government bonds 0#NZTSY= eased, sending yields 2.5 basis points higher at the long end of the curve.
Australian government bond futures edged up, with the three-year bond contract YTTc1 1 tick higher at 98.410. The 10-year contract YTCc1 added 2 ticks to 97.7250, while the 20-year contract YXXc1 gained half a tick to 97.0750. (Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)