The Australian and New Zealand dollars rose as stocks in the region gained amid reports U.S. lawmakers may agree to rescue automakers, spurring investors to buy high-yielding assets.
The currencies extended gains from Dec. 5 after U.S. President-elect Barack Obama on the weekend pledged the biggest public works program in about 50 years to help fuel growth in the world’s biggest economy. Australia’s dollar strengthened the most in two weeks against the U.S. currency and the yen after S&P/...