Stephen Toplis

The BNZ-BusinessNZ Performance of Manufacturing Index fell into the red in May, recording the lowest reading the index has reported in almost a year

The BNZ-BusinessNZ Performance of Manufacturing Index fell into the red in May, recording the lowest reading the index has reported in almost a year

Most economists predict the Reserve Bank will start raising the Official Cash Rate from July, following a split vote at May's Monetary Policy Committee meeting

Most economists predict the Reserve Bank will start raising the Official Cash Rate from July, following a split vote at May's Monetary Policy Committee meeting

Bank economists expect the RBNZ to keep the Official Cash Rate on hold on Wednesday as inflation uncertainty clouds the timing of future hikes

Bank economists expect the RBNZ to keep the Official Cash Rate on hold on Wednesday as inflation uncertainty clouds the timing of future hikes

After softer than expected April SPI figures, Westpac NZ economist says full impact of oil price rises yet to be felt through supply chain and a 'sharp rise' in inflation is still on the cards for the middle part of 2026

After softer than expected April SPI figures, Westpac NZ economist says full impact of oil price rises yet to be felt through supply chain and a 'sharp rise' in inflation is still on the cards for the middle part of 2026

RBNZ chief economist Paul Conway says future path for the OCR is conditional on how the economy evolves as some bank economists bring their forecasts for increases forward

RBNZ chief economist Paul Conway says future path for the OCR is conditional on how the economy evolves as some bank economists bring their forecasts for increases forward

The experts are overwhelmingly in favour of the Reserve Bank keeping the Official Cash Rate unchanged this week - but do see it having to rise in the coming year

The experts are overwhelmingly in favour of the Reserve Bank keeping the Official Cash Rate unchanged this week - but do see it having to rise in the coming year

The Reserve Bank's latest Official Cash Rate review will see no immediate change to the 2.25% rate, but that's about the only predictable part of a very complicated decision

The Reserve Bank's latest Official Cash Rate review will see no immediate change to the 2.25% rate, but that's about the only predictable part of a very complicated decision

The financial markets got the soothing message they were looking for from Reserve Bank Governor Anna Breman - but the longer term picture remains one of ongoing inflation and likely interest rate hikes

The financial markets got the soothing message they were looking for from Reserve Bank Governor Anna Breman - but the longer term picture remains one of ongoing inflation and likely interest rate hikes

'Whatever your point of comparison it seems the worst-case scenario could be a lot worse than Treasury envisages,' BNZ head of research says, as projections see inflation hitting 3.8% and in some cases, pushing past 4%

'Whatever your point of comparison it seems the worst-case scenario could be a lot worse than Treasury envisages,' BNZ head of research says, as projections see inflation hitting 3.8% and in some cases, pushing past 4%

'It’s nightmare time for the RBNZ. Supply shocks cannot be handled well by central banks. We have had plenty of recent evidence of this'

'It’s nightmare time for the RBNZ. Supply shocks cannot be handled well by central banks. We have had plenty of recent evidence of this'

Kiwibank economists say the Reserve Bank may well have to tolerate higher inflation in the short term to avoid raising interest rates into a slowing global economy

Kiwibank economists say the Reserve Bank may well have to tolerate higher inflation in the short term to avoid raising interest rates into a slowing global economy

The Reserve Bank's first Official Cash Rate review for the year won't see any changes to interest rates - but there will be plenty of other things to watch out for

The Reserve Bank's first Official Cash Rate review for the year won't see any changes to interest rates - but there will be plenty of other things to watch out for

BNZ economists think the Reserve Bank will start to raise interest rates in the third quarter of this year but won't want to signpost that yet in its first Official Cash Rate review for the year next week

BNZ economists think the Reserve Bank will start to raise interest rates in the third quarter of this year but won't want to signpost that yet in its first Official Cash Rate review for the year next week

In the Of Interest podcast, Governor Anna Breman says Reserve Bank 'will do what is best for the NZ economy and to reach our inflation target' even if it's an OCR hike in the election run-in

In the Of Interest podcast, Governor Anna Breman says Reserve Bank 'will do what is best for the NZ economy and to reach our inflation target' even if it's an OCR hike in the election run-in

‘Our new laser-focussed-on-inflation RBNZ Governor will not be amused’: Economists say OCR hike in 2026 ‘likelier than not’ following latest annual inflation figures

‘Our new laser-focussed-on-inflation RBNZ Governor will not be amused’: Economists say OCR hike in 2026 ‘likelier than not’ following latest annual inflation figures