The kiwi currency was firm at $0.6875, having bounced 0.5 percent overnight. It got as far as $0.6887 at one point but shied away from resistance at $0.6893. The kiwi got its own lift as a global auction for dairy, New Zealand's biggest goods export, saw prices rise for the sixth sale in a row. The dovish chatter from central banks gave Australian bond futures a boost, with the three-year bond contract up 3.5 ticks at 98.355. The 10-year contract rose 3 ticks to 97.8950.
New Zealand government bonds firmed, sending yields 1 to 2 basis points lower. Australian data were mixed, with wages missing forecasts in the December quarter but annual growth in the private sector running at the fastest pace in five years. More telling were comments from US President Donald Trump overnight that trade talks with China were going well and he might be open to pushing off the tariff deadline, saying March 1 was not a "magical" date. Bloomberg reported the White House was seeking a pledge from China that it would not devalue the yuan, sending the currency higher.