ANZ New Zealand said on Tuesday its June business confidence index rose to 36.6
from 10 in May, the highest since February and well above April’s -10.6. Its
indicator of firms’ own activity climbed to 36.9 from 25.6. ANZ cited signs of
US–Iran détente and lower fuel costs as drivers, saying the improvement suggests
growth this year may not slow as much as initially expected; chief economist
Sharon Zollner said firms appear more optimistic and more willing to invest and
hire, with scope for a partial return toward pre–oil‑spike levels.
