New Zealand Business Confidence Highest Since March 2015

(RTTNews) - New Zealand business confidence improved further in December to the highest level in more than eight-and-a-half years, as the vast majority of indicators lifted, survey results from ANZ showed on Tuesday.

The business sentiment index rose to 33.2 in December from 30.8 in the previous month.

The index measuring firms' expected activity rose 3.0 points from November to 29.3 in December.

Profit expectations, export and employment intentions, and residential construction expectations all rose, the ANZ said.

Inflation expectations dropped to a 2-year low of 4.61 percent in December from 4.79 percent in the prior month.