NZ business confidence steady in August as farmers less gloomy, retailers, manufacturers less optimistic

NZ business confidence steady in August as farmers less gloomy, retailers, manufacturers less optimistic
Jonathan Underhill
By Jonathan Underhill Aug. 31 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand business confidence was little changed in August from July as farmers became less gloomy while retailers and manufacturers lost a bit of spring in their step. The ANZ Business Outlook shows the net number of optimists edged down to 15.5 percent from 16 percent in July and down from 20.2 percent in June. The own-activity measure improved, with a net 33.7 percent seeing a pickup, compared with 31.4 percent in the previous month. The biggest change in confidence came from the agri...