New Zealand’s services sector growth slowed last month after a surge in activity in October, and is another indicator underlining what’s been a tepid economic recovery. The BNZ-Business New Zealand performance of services index fell 4 points to 54.1 in November. A reading above 50 indicates a sector is growing and a reading below 50 indicates contraction. The survey comes …

The New Zealand dollar looks set to breach 85 US cents for the first time in 15 months provided third-quarter growth figures don’t disappoint and Washington remains stalled on fiscal cliff talks. The kiwi dollar recently traded at 84.60 US cents from 84.56 cents in New York on Friday. The trade-weighted index rose to 75.45 from 75.31. The local currency …

New Zealand consumer confidence rose as households’ pessimism about the state of their own affairs was the least gloomy in five years. The Westpac McDermott Miller Consumer Confidence Index rose 8.6 points to 111.1 in the December quarter, the highest level since September last year. A reading above 100 means optimists outnumber pessimists. The present conditions index rose 6.2 points …