New Zealand consumer confidence fell slightly this month in the face of growing unease about the global economy, which is keeping kiwis relatively cautious about spending.
The ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence measure fell 0.3 points to 112.2 in October. The future conditions index fell 0.3 points to 117.2 and thecurrent conditions index fell 0.4 points to 104.8.
A reading of 100 marks the neutral line between that divides pessimists from optimists.
"The current global backdrop would normally be associated with a sharp tail-off in consumer confidence," said ANZ chief economist Cameron Bagrie.
"To date, this has failed to occur. Hence we find the spirit of the results encouraging."
Those who deemed it a good time to buy a major household item fell to a net 18 percent from a net 29 per cent in last month's survey.
A net 9 per cent said they were worse off than a year ago, an improvement from the net 19 per cent who felt worse off in last month's survey.
Looking ahead 12 months, a net 29 per cent expected to be better off, up from a net 24 percent in the previous survey. Looking at New Zealand as a whole, a net 5 per cent thought the country would be in worse shape in 12 months time, from a net 4 per cent last month.
