NZIER said that despite the easing in labour pressures, businesses are still experiencing strain from rising costs, with only a slight decrease in the proportion of firms reporting higher operating expenses in the September quarter. — Reuters picWELLINGTON, Oct 3 — New Zealand’s business confidence in the third quarter improved slightly but the sentiment is generally downbeat, a private think tank said today.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, 53 per cent expected business conditions to worsen, against 60 per cent pessimism recorded in the previous period. The survey’s measure of capacity utilisation rose to 87.3 per cent, from the previous quarter’s 87.1 per cent. “These developments suggest that higher interest rates are starting to dampen demand in the New Zealand economy,” NZIER said in its report.