New Zealand Business Confidence Rises in October as Pricing Intentions Reach Five-Month High

New Zealand business sentiment strengthened in October, with the headline ANZ Business Confidence Index rising to 52.5 from 51.9. Pricing pressures increased notably, as a net 52.2% of firms signaled intentions to raise prices over the next three months, the highest reading since May, with expected average price increases reaching 1.92%. Reported past activity improved to 15.0 from 10.8, and services export intentions hit a 25-year high of 48.7 on currency weakness. However, underlying momentum showed mixed signals as investment and employment intentions softened to 18.3 and 17.4, respectively.