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Economists unruffled by OCR statement

Thursday 26th of July 2012

Westpac said the Reserve Bank decision to leave the Official Cash Rate at 2.5% hadn’t affected its prediction that the first increase would be in July 2012.

Bank economists said the decision by Alan Bollard was most notable for how little had changed since the last announcement in June.

Bollard said: "New Zealand's trading partner outlook remains poor, with several euro-area economies in recession. There remains a limited risk that conditions in the euro area deteriorate very significantly. The Bank continues to monitor the situation carefully given the potential for rapid change.

"Domestically, the Bank continues to expect economic activity to grow modestly over the next few years. Housing market activity continues to increase as forecast, and repairs and reconstruction in Canterbury are expected to further boost the construction sector. Offsetting this, fiscal consolidation and the exchange rate are constraining demand growth.

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