SYDNEY, June 9 (Reuters) - The New Zealand dollar briefly popped above 71 U.S. cents for the first time in a year on Thursday after the Reserve Bank of New Zealand kept interest rates unchanged, defying expectations for a cut in rates.
The kiwi climbed as far as $0.7117 NZD=D4 , from around $0.7020 before the rate decision, reaching a high not seen since June 2015. It has since stepped back to $0.7094. See for details of the rate decision.