Slump in expected business activity bodes ill for economy

Local firms are the gloomiest about their own businesses that they’ve been since the depths of the global financial crisis and economists don’t expect much, if any, growth in the first half of this year.ANZ economists published a flash reading of the bank's monthly business confidence survey to give a more timely update on economic indicators. The survey captured the first week, with 242 respondents, and will form part of the full report at the end of March.It showed a net 12.8 percent of those surveyed expect their own activity to decline in t...
Subscribe to BusinessDesk
Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.
- Deeply researched, twice-edited and fact-checked news
- Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal
- Personalised email news alerts, plus gift up to 5 stories a month to non-subscribers
You can cancel anytime with two clicks, an email or a phone call.
Find out more.
We are serious about journalism.
Already a Subscriber ? Sign in here.
{{ registerForm.errors.get('form') }}
We had trouble validating your card. It's possible your card provider is preventing us from charging the card. Please contact your card provider or customer support.
{{ cardForm.errors.get('card') }}
{{ registerForm.errors.get('plan') }}
{{ __(plans[index].name) | capitalize }}
{{ plans[index].attributes.old_price | currency }}
{{ plans[index].price | currency }}
All subscriptions auto renew but are easy to cancel.
Tax: {{ taxAmount(selectedPlan) | currency }}
Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}
Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}
{{ registerForm.errors.get('email') }}
Not convinced yet?
Subscribe to our free 7am Headlines newsletter.
A quick summary of everything BusinessDesk has published in the previous 24 hours. No BusinessDesk
subscription needed.