NZ economy grows less-than-expected 0.4% in 2nd-qtr as agriculture, mining rebound; dollar drops

NZ economy grows less-than-expected 0.4% in 2nd-qtr as agriculture, mining rebound; dollar drops
By Paul McBeth Sept. 17 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand's economy accelerated by less than expected in the second quarter, with agriculture and mining recovering from a weak start to the year. The kiwi dollar dropped almost half a US cent.  Gross domestic product grew 0.4 percent in the three months ended June 30, accelerating from a 0.2 percent pace in the March quarter that was the slowest in two years, Statistics New Zealand said. While agricultural production drove activity in the period, it was still below economists' forecasts for GDP...