WELLINGTON/SYDNEY, Feb 28 (Reuters) - The Australian dollar edged back a little in early Asian trade on Monday but remained comfortably above $1.0100 and near a decade-high on its New Zealand neighbour ahead of a week packed with economic data.
* Australian dollar hovering around $1.0148, from Friday's late New York level around $1.0176. It slipped to an offshore low of $1.0088 before bouncing back.
* Aussie resistance around $1.0190, with a break likely sending it to test $1.0257, the 29-year high struck in December.
* Aussie up at NZ$1.3514 having hit a 10-year high of NZ$1.3564, not far from the NZ$1.3640 peak struck in September 2000. It gained three cents last week on diverging outlooks for interest rates.
* NZ dollar hovers around $0.7509, a touch softer from late offshore level of around $0.7520 on Friday. Support still seen around $0.7427 and resistance at $0.7570.
* Markets now fully priced a 25 basis point cut at the next RBNZ rate review on March 10 and no rise at all over the next 12 months.
* Traders bet the blow to the economy and consumer confidence from last week's quake may lead the central bank to cut rates to help restore confidence.
* While short term rates come under pressure, kiwi finds some support on risk appetite and bets that offshore reinsurers will need to buy NZ dollars to meet their insurance obligations.
* A Reuters poll on Friday showed that the majority of economists expect the central bank will maintain the cash rate at 3.0 percent until the end of the year, with the next rate hike seen only in early 2012.
* In contrast, analysts suspect the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will hike again as early as May to head off inflationary pressures from a trade and mining boom.
* The RBA holds its monthly policy meeting on Tuesday and is widely expected to hold rates steady at 4.75 pct.
* Raft of Australian data this week includes profits and inventories on Monday, retail sales and the current account on Tuesday, GDP for Q4 on Wednesday and trade data on Thursday.
* Median forecasts favour a moderate rise of 0.6 pct in Q4 GDP leaving annual growth steady around 2.7 pct, though that could change as data are released over the next two days.
* Risk sentiment improves after global stocks rallied while oil prices edged higher even after Saudi Arabia boosted oil output to calm fears of supply disruptions sparked by the uprising in Libya.
* The CRB commodities index was up 1.6 pct, while 10-year Treasury yields fell despite better risk sentiment.
* Australian bond futures little changed, with three-year contract flat at 94.86 and the 10-year contract up a touch at 94.465.
(Australia/New Zealand bureaux) Keywords: MARKETS AUSTRALIA NEWZEALAND FOREX/BONDS (+61 2 9373 1800/+64 4 471 4234) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
* Australian dollar hovering around $1.0148, from Friday's late New York level around $1.0176. It slipped to an offshore low of $1.0088 before bouncing back.
* Aussie resistance around $1.0190, with a break likely sending it to test $1.0257, the 29-year high struck in December.
* Aussie up at NZ$1.3514 having hit a 10-year high of NZ$1.3564, not far from the NZ$1.3640 peak struck in September 2000. It gained three cents last week on diverging outlooks for interest rates.
* NZ dollar hovers around $0.7509, a touch softer from late offshore level of around $0.7520 on Friday. Support still seen around $0.7427 and resistance at $0.7570.
* Markets now fully priced a 25 basis point cut at the next RBNZ rate review on March 10 and no rise at all over the next 12 months.
* Traders bet the blow to the economy and consumer confidence from last week's quake may lead the central bank to cut rates to help restore confidence.
* While short term rates come under pressure, kiwi finds some support on risk appetite and bets that offshore reinsurers will need to buy NZ dollars to meet their insurance obligations.
* A Reuters poll on Friday showed that the majority of economists expect the central bank will maintain the cash rate at 3.0 percent until the end of the year, with the next rate hike seen only in early 2012.
* In contrast, analysts suspect the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will hike again as early as May to head off inflationary pressures from a trade and mining boom.
* The RBA holds its monthly policy meeting on Tuesday and is widely expected to hold rates steady at 4.75 pct.
* Raft of Australian data this week includes profits and inventories on Monday, retail sales and the current account on Tuesday, GDP for Q4 on Wednesday and trade data on Thursday.
* Median forecasts favour a moderate rise of 0.6 pct in Q4 GDP leaving annual growth steady around 2.7 pct, though that could change as data are released over the next two days.
* Risk sentiment improves after global stocks rallied while oil prices edged higher even after Saudi Arabia boosted oil output to calm fears of supply disruptions sparked by the uprising in Libya.
* The CRB commodities index was up 1.6 pct, while 10-year Treasury yields fell despite better risk sentiment.
* Australian bond futures little changed, with three-year contract flat at 94.86 and the 10-year contract up a touch at 94.465.
(Australia/New Zealand bureaux) Keywords: MARKETS AUSTRALIA NEWZEALAND FOREX/BONDS (+61 2 9373 1800/+64 4 471 4234) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.