NZ consumer prices rise at slowest annual pace since 1999 on cheap petrol; kiwi drops

NZ consumer prices rise at slowest annual pace since 1999 on cheap petrol; kiwi drops
Paul McBeth
By Paul McBeth Jan. 20 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand consumer prices rose at their slowest annual pace since 1999 in the December quarter as cheap petrol pushed inflation below the Reserve Bank's expectations, and opens the door for more interest rate cuts this year. The New Zealand dollar dropped half a cent. The consumers price index increased just 0.1 percent in 2015, its smallest reading since September 1999 when prices fell, according to Statistics New Zealand. That was short of the Reserve Bank's expectation for a 0.4 percent rise, a...