Economy Watch

The Reserve Bank surprised the market on Wednesday by dropping hints it was open to cutting rates sooner than planned , due to signs the economy was getting too weak. While the tone shift was unexpected, the central bank was reacting to the same data which had caused ASB’s economics team to change their own interest rate forecast the week prior. Nick Tuffley, the retail bank’s chief economist, sai...

New Zealand exporters to the United States might be at greater risk of being disrupted than those exporting to China, according to one trade expert. Despite talk about the need to diversify away from China due to geopolitical differences, it may be the United States that hits Kiwi businesses with tariffs intended to shut them out. Stephen Jacobi, the executive director of the NZ International Busi...

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 inflation's pressures seem to be cooling in all the world's major economies. But first, in seasonally-adjusted terms, the number of people claiming American unemployment benef...

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 global trade distortions seem to be growing. But first, after three weeks of gains (some quite minor though), last week US mortgage application levels fell again, and are no...

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 the US Fed is setting the scene for rate cuts down the track. When remains uncertain but financial markets have priced one in fully by November. The next big piece of relev...

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 of little global fallout from the weekend election results. First up today, we should note that American consumer inflation expectations for the year ahead slipped for a seco...

that in the three elections held over the weekend, 'democracy' seems to be signaling a rejection of the hard-line and hard-right. But first in the week ahead the main event will be Wednesday's RBNZ OCR review. But there will be other important global data released as well, including the American CPI and PPI results for June. China will release its versions of inflation monitoring as well, and the...

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 global container freight rates are rising to ridiculous levels now, just another element that is stifling world trade. But first up, we should note that it is a public holiday...

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 that while the world's politics is getting messier and more partisan, the world's big economies are basically doing ok. First up today, the US Fed released the minutes of it...

Dairy prices nosedive. US data quite positive. China housing woes deepen. Inflation low in South Korea & EU. RBA minutes leave rate hike on table. Audio soundtrack opening is licensed from Shutterstock, Track 1219389 Monetization ID TFGEPGEI0LHEIJAI

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 final round of Australian tax cuts have come into effect. But first, the updated factory PMIs for the giant US economy have brought another diverging set. The S&P Global/...

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 July starts on shaky ground everywhere although the ground is firmer in the US than China. As this is the first week of July, it will be heavy with PMI survey results everywhe...

The first New Zealand and international wave of electric vehicle (EV) uptake is probably over, with cheaper cars and better public charging infrastructure required for further major growth in the uptake of these "batteries on wheels," says James Foster.  In a new episode of interest.co.nz's  Of Interest podcast , Foster, who runs the EVDB website , says EVs reaching price parity with internal comb...

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 food price signals belie talk of impending trouble. But first, US mortgage applications were virtually unchanged last week (+0.8%) from the week before, taking them to -13%...

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 questions remain about whether inflation's fall can be maintained. Today is another shadow day with mostly second-tier data released, but some of it is interesting all the...

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 a quiet data week is bringing more focus to larger systemic issues. Today, in the absence of key data releases, we should note that after the GFC, regulators moved aggressive...

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 the pressure is on China to revive its fast-slowing momentum. First however, this week will bring some key American data covering durable goods orders and PCE inflation data o...

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...