New Zealand service sector activity, which accounts for about two thirds of the economy, rose in June to round out a second quarter almost as buoyant as the first three months of the year.
The BNZ-BusinessNZ performance of services index rose 0.6 points to a seasonally adjusted 54.7 in June,
from 54.1 in May and down from 55.2 a year earlier. A reading above 50 indicates the sector is in expansion, while the average for the first half of the year was 56.1 points.
Today's reading comes after the PSI's manufacturing counterpart, the BNZ-BusinessNZ performance of manufacturing index rose from an 18-month low in May. Both indexes have been in expansion over the past year, but the levels have eased in recent months while remaining above long-term averages.
The composite index, which combines the PSI and PMI, was steady in June. The GDP-weighted index increased 0.6 points to 54.5, below the 55.2 reading in the same month last year, while the free-weighted index was unchanged from May at 54.1, lower than the reading of 55.3 a year earlier.
"Many economic indicators have been going gangbusters over the past 12 months, pointing to strong growth," senior Bank of New Zealand economist Doug Steel said in a note. "More recently, there have been a few hinting at some degree of cooling, but to levels that are still above average."
