New Zealand ANZ Business Confidence Climbs as Activity Outlook Eases

Business sentiment in New Zealand improved in July even as expectations for future activity softened, according to survey results published by ANZ Bank. The ANZ Business Confidence Index rose to 47.8 in July from 46.3 a month earlier, indicating a greater share of firms expect conditions to improve over the coming year. By contrast, the survey’s Activity Outlook measure, which tracks firms’ own output expectations, edged down to 40.6 from 40.9, suggesting companies remain cautious about near-term demand despite the broader lift in confidence.