NZD/USD drifts higher above 0.5850, focus on Fedspeak

• NZD/USD gains ground to near 0.5875 in Thursday's early Asian session.
• Fed's Bowman said inflation is still elevated and has moved sideways in the last few months, so the Fed needs to be cautious.
• The RBNZ is anticipated to cut its interest rate next week. 

The NZD/USD pair posts modest gains to around 0.5875 during the early Asian session on Thursday. However, the upside for the pair might be limited as investors await Fedspeak for more cues about the Federal Reserve's interest rate outlook and US President-elect Donald Trump's proposed policies.

The US Dollar index (DXY), which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies, currently trades near 106.60 after retracing from a yearly high of 107.06 last week. The growing bets that the Fed may slow its path of interest-rate cuts on concerns Trump's policies could reignite inflation boost the US Dollar (USD) against the Kiwi. 

Economists expect the Fed to cut rates at its December meeting with shallower cuts in 2025 than expected a month ago due to the risk of higher inflation from Trump's policies, according to a Reuters poll. 

Federal Reserve Board of Governors member Michelle Bowman said on Wednesday that inflation is still elevated and moving sideways in the last few months and the US central bank should pursue a cautious approach to monetary policy.

On the Kiwi front, the growing expectations that the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) would cut its Official Cash Rate (OCR) next week might weigh on the New Zealand Dollar (NZD). Markets are fully pricing in a 50 bps reduction, with 12% odds of a larger 75 bps rate cut. ANZ chief economist Sharon Zollner expects the RBNZ to cut its OCR by 50 basis points (bps) next week, bringing the rate to 4.25%. "If there is going to be a surprise, a larger cut seems likelier than a smaller one," added Zollner.