NZ economic growth softer than expected in Sept quarter

NZ economic growth softer than expected in Sept quarter
Rebecca Howard
By Rebecca Howard Dec. 20 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand's economy grew less than expected in the September quarter, delivering the lowest quarterly growth rate in five years. Gross domestic product expanded 0.3 percent in the September quarter, down from a 1 percent rise in the prior quarter, and was up 2.6 percent on the year, Statistics New Zealand said. Economists had expected quarterly growth of 0.6 percent and 2.8 percent annual growth, according to the median in a Bloomberg poll. The central bank was forecasting growth of 0.7 perc...