Price pressures easing across the economy: QSBO

Price pressures easing across the economy: QSBO
Retailers showed a surprising jump in optimism about the year ahead in December. (Image: Getty)
Pattrick Smellie
Businesses’ willingness to raise prices decreased significantly at the end of last year, at the same time as optimism improved markedly for trading conditions in the year ahead.Those were key findings of the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research’s (NZIER) quarterly survey of business opinion (QSBO) for December.Economists watched pricing intentions closely in this latest survey as a harbinger of whether and how swiftly the Reserve Bank of NZ (RBNZ) might consider cutting interest rates from their current high point.Demand const...

More Economy

Economy contracts 0.9% in June quarter
Economy

Economy contracts 0.9% in June quarter

GDP has now fallen in 3 of the last 5 quarters.

Life insurance market shrinks
Finance Risky Business

Life insurance market shrinks

Foreign firms dominate as affordability, tax and access barriers stymie growth.

Seeking a faster, sharper ComCom
Economy

Seeking a faster, sharper ComCom

A ‘gold standard’ approach and siloed structure slow the ComCom down.

Court funding miss ‘undermines market confidence’
Finance

Court funding miss ‘undermines market confidence’

Plenary and Infrastructure NZ wrote to ministers over PPP ‘disappointment’.

Oliver Lewis 17 Sep 2025