A 5.8 magnitude quake near Christchurch, in New Zealand. I don’t think that’s large enough to cause any damage but NZD just dropped.
Update: the original quake was a 6.3 magnitude and killed 180 people so maybe it’s a bit too soon to say it shouldn’t be a problem.
Update 2: Early details here. Some buildings appear to have been damaged and the airport is being evacuated but NZD is acting as if it’s a minor disaster.
Update 3: some comments from Reuters:
“It was incredibly violent,” one caller told Radio New Zealand. “All the water in my birdbath slopped out and I could hear everything falling over inside. When I walked inside, the cat streaked out the door, ornaments were all over the floor, contents of the pantry were lying on the floor, a little bit of smashed glass and picture frames lying over.”
Live updates are here but it doesn’t sound as if it was anywhere near the initial disaster. NZD/USD back to 0.7739
