WELLINGTON: New Zealand business sentiment fell in February, an ANZ Bank survey showed on Monday. The survey’s headline measure showed a net 7.1 percent of respondents are optimistic about the general economy over the year ahead. It compared with 23.0 percent in the prior survey in January.
A net 25.5 percent of respondents expected their own businesses to grow in the next 12 months, from 34.4 percent last month. Inflation expectations eased to 1.39 percent versus 1.64 in the prior survey.
ANZ Chief Economist Cameron Bagrie said the waning sentiment is largely due to “global unease.” “The New Zealand economy is not immune from global pressures. We are a small, commodity dependent, debtor nation,” he said.
