There has been endless news on the current unprecedented trade war between the US and the rest of the world. The effects on US consumers and the US economy should not be understated, and forecasts incorporating current policy paint a depressing outlook for the US. Read

Swimming at our picturesque beaches, rivers and lakes is a Kiwi summer staple as many of us have time off in the summer months. Sometimes our favourite swimming spots can become contaminated with unsafe levels of organisms such as E. coli, enterococci and toxic algae which pose a health risks such a... Read

New Zealand’s provincial economies contribute greatly to the overall economy, providing dairy, meat, and horticultural products to the nation and overseas export markets. Read

Benefit numbers have been in the headlines again in recent times, as the economy has continued to deteriorate and businesses shed staff and limit hiring in the face of lower sales and activity amid still high input costs. Lower job ads and rising unemployment also means more households fear for thei... Read

Yesterday the Reserve Bank accelerated the monetary policy easing cycle, cutting the official cash rate (OCR) by 50 basis points to 4.75%. Markets had priced in a cut of around 50 basis points, although the consensus among analysts was more divided between 25 and 50 basis points. Most retail banks had shifted their forecasts to a 50-basis point cut following the release of NZIER’s Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion on 1 October. Read

Infrastructure investment remains a hot topic across the country, with increasing demands for investment, but more limited amounts of funding available. High cost escalation for network infrastructure in recent years have contributed to a need to spend more than anticipated to get less than anticipated. Read

For people who are unemployed or are looking for a new job opportunity, it is becoming increasingly difficult to land yourself a role. There is a lack of opportunities in the labour market and a surplus of talent looking for jobs, creating a highly competitive environment for job hunters. Read

The New Zealand energy market has been in the spotlight recently, as a shortfall of energy, from both gas and electricity, has sent energy prices soaring. It’s become such an issue that production has started to be curtailed for some operators, either because they cannot procure energy supplies, or it has become economically unviable to pay such high prices. Read

Infometrics welcomes Matthew Allman into our economist team. Matthew joined us in April this year and is already an integral part of the forecasting team. This month we chat with Matthew about what he’s been involved with since he joined Infometrics. Read

Two key themes about the economy came through in NZIER’s latest Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion (QSBO), published last week. Firstly, the labour market continues to soften across the board, with a range of labour market indicators at their weakest since around 2009. Secondly, there has been a f... Read