Falling kiwi insulates exporters in August, pushing up local currency commodity prices

Falling kiwi insulates exporters in August, pushing up local currency commodity prices
Paul McBeth
By Paul McBeth Sept. 5 (BusinessDesk) - A 2 percent decline in the kiwi dollar on a trade-weighted basis offset weaker global commodity prices in August, meaning local exporters registered an increase for the month.  The ANZ commodity price index rose 0.4 percent in New Zealand dollar terms last month, snapping two months of declines, and taking the annual gain to 8.9 percent. The kiwi dollar's trade-weighted index fell to 71.86 from 73.33 through August and was recently at 71.09, making local exports more competitive in overseas markets....