In New Zealand the economic outlook has improved, partly thanks to more supportive fiscal policy being deployed...

The economic outlook has perked up, due to strong economic data out of the U.S., modestly better data in the rest of the world, and, critically, a trade agreement between the U.S. and China, which, with the British election results, has helped defuse investor anxieties about global growth. .…

In New Zealand, recent data has been modestly encouraging about the prospects for business activity...

While geopolitical risks remain high, at the moment investment sentiment has turned more positive on a potential (if only partial) resolution of the U.S.-China trade disputes. Growth assets have consequently benefited, while the prospect of a pick-up in world growth, and reduced demand for defensive boltholes, have led to sell-offs for bonds and bond proxies.…