The New Zealand dollar took center stage in early Asian trade on Thursday, surging to a one-year high after the Reserve Bank of New Zealand defied expectations for an interest rate cut and stood pat. The currency was up 1.5 percent at $0.7126 NZD=D4 after climbing as far as $0.7139, from around $0.7020 before the policy decision, reaching a high not seen since June 2015 after the RBNZ held rates steady but retained an easing bias. Reserve Bank of New Zealand governor Graeme Wheeler said at a media conference the bank would not hesitate to adjust interest rates if needed. "If U.S. data continues to disappoint, the ... (full story)