UPDATED Strength of NZ labour market stokes talk of rate hikes; kiwi gains

Tue, 05 Nov 2013

By Paul McBeth and Tina Morrison Nov. 6 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand’s jobless rate fell more than expected in the third quarter as companies took on workers, stoking speculation strength in the labour market will feed inflation and give the central bank more reason to hike interest rates next year. The kiwi dollar jumped. The unemployment rate slipped to 6.2 percent in the three months ended Sept. 30 just below the 6.3 percent forecast in a Reuters survey of economists, and down from 6.4 percent in the June quarter, according to Statistics...

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