Economy Watch

Kia ora, Welcome to Friday’s Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand. I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz. Today we lead with news that the start of Summer in the northern hemisphere brings excessive heat and ominous food security and immigration implications. But first, initial US jobless claims slipped...

Ask Cameron Bagrie how to improve business and rural banking and some words reoccur in his answers. Three of them are "risk", "productivity", and "bankability." With two parliamentary select committees set to hold an inquiry into banking competition , the business and rural banking markets will feature, unlike in the Commerce Commission probe into competition in the personal banking market. In the...

Kia ora, Welcome to Thursday’s Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand. I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz. Today we lead with news of some very large global tensions starting to boil hotter. But first, mortgage applications in the US rose by +0.9% in the second week of June, extending the +16% surge fro...

Kia ora, Welcome to Wednesday’s Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand. I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz. Today we lead with news expectations for a rate cut any time soon in Australia have faded significantly after the RBA's MPS yesterday. But first, the overnight dairy auction brought slightly lower...

Kia ora, Welcome to Tuesday’s Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand. I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz. Today we lead with news the steam seems to be going out of the Chinese economy as their property sector woes just drag on and on. But first, although it is still retreating, the June New York factor...

By Gareth Vaughan How seriously is the public sector taking the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing? This question comes up in a new episode of interest.co.nz's  Of Interest podcast , featuring barrister and solicitor Fiona Hall and anti-money laundering auditor and consultant Martin Dilly. In a recent article the two raised concerns about impending job cuts to the team at the D...

Kia ora, Welcome to Monday’s Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand. I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz. Today we lead with news of some slippage in the world's largest economies. However, in the week ahead we will get central bank rate review decisions from China, Norway, the UK, and Switzerland. Of sp...

Kia ora, Welcome to Friday’s Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand. I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz. Today we lead with news some think the first signs of a labour market in the US are showing. Initial American actual jobless claims "jumped" last week to +235,000, above the expected +225,000 and to...

Kia ora, Welcome to Thursday’s Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand. I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz. Today we lead with news the US expansion rolls on, pushing back the timing of when interest rate normalisation will happen. US CPI inflation came in lower than expected for May, slowing to 3.3%, th...

Kia ora, Welcome to Wednesday’s Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand. I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz. And today we lead with news that will all be overshadowed tomorrow by two key pieces of US data, their CPI and the Fed monetary policy decisions. Today, the American Redbook retail indicator came...

Kia ora, Welcome to Tuesday’s Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand. I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz. And today we lead with news the EU parliamentary election jolt has everyone's attention. But first in the US, in the four months December to March, consumer inflation expectations held steady at 3%....

Kia ora, Welcome to Monday’s Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand. I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz. And today we lead with news the IMF is starting to worry that the US expansion could become unsustainable unless it is matched by national productivity gains. But first we should note that it is a pu...

Kia ora, Welcome to Friday’s Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand. I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz. And today we lead with news global trade is facing a tough challenge in containerised freight costs. But first, initial new US jobless claims actually fell modestly last week to +195,000 (although th...

The Australian Government's a Future Made in Australiainitiative could attract skilled migrants and potentially investment and entrepreneurs from New Zealand, and ultimately be a catalyst for a much more sustainable future, says Kylie Walker, the CEO of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering. In last month's budget, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government unveiled  a F...

Kia ora, Welcome to Thursday’s Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand. I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz. And today we lead with news some central banks have started to cut policy rates, others are contemplating long holds or even rises. But first, US mortgage applications fell a sharpish -5.2% in the...

Kia ora, Welcome to Wednesday’s Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand. I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz. And today we lead with news of some unexpected outcomes. The overnight dairy auction belied the futures market again somewhat, delivering modest rises across the board, probably because European p...

US PMIs vary, US PCE inflation holds; Canada gets modest expansion; India gets huge expansion; Japan data good; China data weak; NZ to join IPEF. Audio soundtrack opening is licensed from Shutterstock, Track 1219389 Monetization ID TFGEPGEI0LHEIJAI

Kia ora, Welcome to Friday’s Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand. I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz. And today we lead with news weaker US data has halted the bond selloff. But first, the actual number of US initial jobless claims rose marginally last week, and the number of people on these benefits...

Kia ora, Welcome to Thursday’s Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand. I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz. And today we lead with news today is Budget Day. Join us at 2pm for full coverage of the new government's first full Budget. More broadly, US mortgage applications sank -5.7% last week from the pre...

Kia ora, Welcome to Wedenesday’s Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand. I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz. And today we lead with news global markets are putting upward pressure on interest rates and that is spilling over to our local markets. In the US, and somewhat unexpectedly, consumer confidence...

Kia ora, Welcome to Tuesday’s Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand. I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz. And today we lead with news of mostly second-tier indicators today. And that is because it is a public holiday in the US, Memorial Day, and financial markets are closed there. Tt is probably good th...

Kia ora, Welcome to Monday’s Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand. I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz. And today we lead with news American factory orders are rising and setting up a good second half of 2024. But first we should note that the US is on holiday today and tomorrow, their Memorial Day (li...

Kia ora, Welcome to Friday’s Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand. I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz. And today we lead with news China seems to be making a play to avoided as an investment destination. But first, initial US jobless claims fell to just +192,000 last week when a small increase was ant...

The fund backing New Zealand's incoming depositor compensation scheme is going to be small, it's going to take a long time to reach its target level, and the lack of depositor preference in the scheme is a mistake, according to a deposit insurance expert. Geof Mortlock, an international financial regulatory consultant who does work for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank specialising in...

Kia ora, Welcome to Thursday’s Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand. I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz. And today we lead with news the American central bank is wondering if they have done enough yet to quash the inflation impulse. But first, US mortgage applications rose +1.9% last week from the pre...