NZIER sees slow second half as business confidence and activity slide

NZIER sees slow second half as business confidence and activity slide
By Paul McBeth Oct. 9 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand's economic growth is poised to slow in the second half of the year as local businesses got gloomier in the third quarter in a deteriorating trading environment, according to the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research. The Wellington-based consultancy sees the pace of annual growth slowing to 1.5 percent in the second half of the year from a pace of 2.6 percent at the end of June, based on a more pessimistic outlook in the September quarterly survey of business opinion. A net 5 percent...