NZ business confidence eases in December, still buoyant

NZ business confidence eases in December, still buoyant
By Paul McBeth Dec. 19 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand business confidence slipped in December, while staying largely upbeat, as inflation remains tame in spite of a growing economy and exporters see improving times ahead. A net 30.4 percent of firms are optimistic about their general prospects in the coming year, down from 31.5 percent in November, according to the ANZ Business Outlook survey. Firms expecting an improvement in their own activity fell to 37.3 percent from 41.7 percent a month earlier. "While the growth rate of the New Zea...