Earlier, the announcement and Statement from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and the NZD response:

Coming up at 2200GMT, Governor Wheeler addresses the media.

There were expectations the Bank would move closer to a tightening bias but this was not the case, Wheeler clearly stating:

  • Developments since the February Monetary Policy Statement on balance are considered to be neutral for the stance of monetary policy.
  • Monetary policy will remain accommodative for a considerable period. Numerous uncertainties remain and policy may need to adjust accordingly.

The NZD took a tumble on this, and also on his comments on the NZD:

  • The trade-weighted exchange rate has fallen by around 5 percent since February, partly in response to global developments and reduced interest rate differentials.
  • This is encouraging and, if sustained, will help to rebalance the growth outlook towards the tradables sector.

That Wheeler would like a sustained lower NZD is no secret.

So, stay tuned for Wheeler, live stream of the news conference will be from here