Kiwi Dollar Weakened by Surprise Jump in New Zealand Unemployment

The New Zealand dollar weakened against other major currencies in the Asian session on Wednesday due to an unexpected jump in unemployment. According to Statistics New Zealand, the seasonally adjusted jobless rate rose to its highest level since September 2015, reaching 5.6 percent in the second quarter of 2026.

This figure missed market expectations of 5.4 percent, which was unchanged from the previous three months following an upward revision from 5.3 percent.