RESEND: NZ annual inflation may have slowed to 1.9% in 2Q, quelling rate-hike talk

RESEND: NZ annual inflation may have slowed to 1.9% in 2Q, quelling rate-hike talk
Rebecca Howard
(Fixes CPI release date in second paragraph) By Rebecca Howard July 14 (BusinessDesk) - Annual inflation may have eased back below 2 percent in the second quarter as weak fuel prices offset a lift in food prices and may stifle market chatter that the Reserve Bank of New Zealand will soon join other central banks embarking on a tightening cycle. Economists expect inflation was 0.2 percent in the three months ended June 30, for an annual rate of 1.9 percent, according to the median in a poll of 15 economists surveyed by Bloomberg. That w...