WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand business confidence improved slightly in the June quarter but businesses remain pessimistic about general economic conditions over the coming months, a private think tank said on Tuesday.
A net 63% of firms surveyed expected general business conditions to deteriorate compared with 70.0% in the previous quarter, the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research’s (NZIER) quarterly survey of business opinion (QSBO) showed.
Seasonally adjusted data showed business confidence at 59% in the second quarter versus 68% in the previous quarter.
The survey’s measure of capacity utilisation was 92.8%, up from the March quarter’s 92.1%.
(Reporting by Praveen Menon; editing by Chris Reese)
