NZ business confidence ends 2015 at 8-mth high as growth prospects remain solid

NZ business confidence ends 2015 at 8-mth high as growth prospects remain solid
Paul McBeth
By Paul McBeth Dec. 18 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand businesses ended 2015 on an upbeat note, with confidence rising to the highest level since April as recent data points to robust growth in the year ahead.  A net 23 percent of firms were optimistic about the general outlook for the economy in 2016, rising from a net 14.6 percent a month earlier, according to the ANZ Business Outlook survey of 432 companies. The agricultural sector showed more optimists than pessimists for the first time since March at 7.5 percent, and they scaled back in...