Sugar-rush retail spend coming to an end - KiwiBank
8 Apr, 2021 01:30 AM
3 minutes to read
Spending pause? Economists seeing pullback in post-lockdown splurge. Photo / Paul Taylor The post-lockdown sugar-rush has finally come to an end, says KiwiBank economist Mary Jo Vergara. The splurge in spending over the second half of last year lasted much longer than expected. But now we have seen a pullback.
Kiwibank s Household Spending Tracker report for the March 2021 quarter showed domestic spend declined 9 per cent in the March quarter, the first decline since the first lockdown ended. The buffer of household savings built up over the initial lockdown may be eroding, Vergara said.
The biggest disappointment had been December-quarter GDP falling 1 per cent, the bank said. However, confidence in firms’ own outlook held steady in its latest survey, with a net 16 per cent positive. The Auckland Business Chamber said a separate survey it conducted suggested small and medium-sized businesses had a gloomy outlook for the next six months, indicating the economy had “plateaued”. Chief executive Michael Barnet said the survey did not paint a rosy picture, with only 20 per cent of respondents thinking the economy would be better in the next six months than in the past six months.
LAWRENCE SMITH/Stuff
Auckland Business Chamber chief executive Michael Barnett said the mood among its members in Auckland was not rosy.
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Posted 6
updated 3
AprApril 2021 at 11:42pm
Brendon and Gauri Miszka are trying to buy their first home in Sydney during the city s latest property boom.
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IT professional Brendon Miszka and his wife Gauri are inspecting a house in Sydney s north-western suburbs.
They re looking to buy their first home but, despite good jobs and a decent deposit, they re finding it tough. I think we re competing with a lot of people that would be happier to take a lot more risk, Brendon says.
Property consultant Edwin Almeida has worked on both sides of the fence, buying and selling for clients.
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