Investing.com - The Australian and New Zealand dollars moved lower on Thursday, as demand for the greenback remained supported following the previous session’s upbeat U.S. employment data, which added to expectations for a rate hike by the Federal Reserve next week.
AUD/USD eased 0.12% to 0.7518, just off a six-week low of 0.7503 hit overnight.
The greenback was boosted after U.S. payroll processor ADP reported on Thursday that the private sector added 298,000 jobs in February, well above forecasts for an increase of 190,000. It was the largest increase in private sector hiring since March 2006.
Investors were looking ahead to Friday’s government employment report for February, where a strong reading would cement expectations for a rate hike from the Fed next week.
NZD/USD fell 0.22% to trade at 0.6899, the lowest since January 4.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was steady at 102.17, just off a one-week high of 102.22 hit earlier.