BNZ grows worried about 'near-recession' as Key talks economy up

BNZ grows worried about 'near-recession' as Key talks economy up
By Pattrick Smellie Aug. 31 (BusinessDesk) - The Bank of New Zealand is increasingly concerned the economy is grinding to a halt following today's confirmation in the ANZ Bank Business Outlook survey of slumping business confidence. "As each day passes, the likelihood of our alternative scenario, of an economy stumbling to near-recession, increases," said head of research Stephen Toplis in analysis released at much the same time as Prime Minister John Key was telling journalists it was important to "keep Chicken Licken at bay" and not tal...