NZ manufacturing activity eases in March, weighed by production index

NZ manufacturing activity eases in March, weighed by production index
Rebecca Howard
By Rebecca Howard April 13 (BusinessDesk) -  New Zealand's manufacturing activity eased in March, weighed on by a slide in the production index that edged close to contraction.  The Business NZ-BNZ performance of manufacturing index fell to a seasonally adjusted 52.2 in March from 53.3 a month earlier, remaining above the 50 level separating expansion from contraction. Three of the five sub-indexes declined, with production falling 2.9 points to 50.8, employment down 1.2 points to 53.5, and new orders decreasing 0.4 points to 53.8. Fin...