Poll Suggests Labour Could Govern Alone, NZ Filled Jobs Tick Higher In Aug

NZD/USD has added a handful of pips thus far, as e-minis kicked off on a slightly firmer footing. The rate last deals +5 pips at $0.6551.

• A Newshub-Reid Research poll grabbed attention locally, as it suggested that PM Ardern's Labour Party could govern alone after the general election slated for Oct 17. According to the poll, support for Labour dropped 10.8pp to 50.1%, while the main opposition National Party firmed up by 4.5pp to 29.6%.
• The Labour Party said that if it wins another term in office, it will enter talks with Rio Tinto to extend the closure of a Tiwai Point aluminium smelter closure by 3-5 years.
• PM Ardern suggested today that creating a travel bubble with Australia could be possible by the turn of the year.
• Stats NZ released monthly employment indicators. Filled jobs rose in August, largely on the back of gains in the education & training sector. The commentary noted that filled jobs "are still well below Mar '20 levels (...). Filled job numbers are usually lower in Aug than in Mar by a few thousand, but this year the difference was over 30k jobs."
• The rate charted a Doji candlestick on Friday and bulls hope for a rebound. Gains past the 50-DMA at $0.6640 would bring Sep 18 YtD high of $0.6798 into view. Bears look for a dip through the 100-DMA at $0.6509, followed by Aug 20 low/38.2% retracement of the YtD range at $0.6489/85.
• New Zealand's building permits and final ANZ Business Confidence are due Wednesday and ANZ Consumer Confidence hits the wires on Friday.