OCR dips to 2.5 percent

The Reserve Bank cut the Official Cash Rate again today, slicing 50 basis points from the previous 3 percent to make today’s rate a low 2.5 %.

Reserve Bank governor Alan Bollard said developments since March pointed to lower medium-term inflation than previously projected. He believed the main contributing factors were weaker global growth and an unwarranted tightening in financial conditions due to higher long-term interest rates and a stronger exchange rate than expected.

He expected the hefty decline in the OCR over the past year to pass through interest rates

to more borrowers over coming quarters as existing fixed-rate mortgages come up for re-pricing.

He said this, combined with the stimulus from fiscal policy, would support the kiwi economy, leading to activity hitting a low and then picking up. It would take some time for economic activity to return to its former glory however, given the scale of the global financial crisis and domestic adjustments underway.

It’s expected the OCR could still move modestly lower over the coming quarters.

OCR Cut to 3%

In a bid to stimulate the economy, the Official Cash Rate has been cut again this morning to 3%. This takes it down by 50 basis points from the previous 3.5%, the third cut in less than four months.

Reserve Bank Govenor Allan Bollard has noted that the 525 basis points in which the OCR has been reduced in the last 6 months is taking interest rates to very stimulatory levels. While credit growth is easing alongside the weak economy, the RBNZ expects lenders to continue pushing financial loans through on sound business propositions, which will support the economy’s recovery.

Additionally, the changes in monetary policy settings and stimulus from fiscal policy, together with the sizeable exchange rate depreciation, will act to further support the NZ economy. Bollard hopes to see activity gradually picking up after the middle of 2009.

Official Cash Rate Cut Again to 3.5%

The OCR, Official Cash Rate, has been cut for the second time in two months by another 150 base points, taking it from 5% to 3.5%.

Reserve Bank Governor Allan Bollard announced the cut this morning, which is the lowest ever since the OCR was introduced in 1999 at 4.5%.

Financial experts predict that it could drop again in coming months a further 100 points, bringing it down to 2.5%.

With interest rates now lower than ever, real estate is becoming more and more affordable, with banks already lowering their mortgage rates in anticipation of the cut. Conversely, the OCR cut is bad news for those with money in the bank who will now earn less interest on their savings.

Managing Spending Habits

The New Zealand treasury has forecast between 68,000 and 87,000 job losses for Kiwis during the next 15 months, along with a bigger Government deficit ($11 billion within 5 years) that those that were announced pre-election.

However, Finance Minister Bill English is determined not to let the Government’s rising debt burden future workers, and strongly believes in our Government’s ability to turn the situation around with “a combination of effective management of Government spending and higher than expected growth rates”. Mr. English is determined on seeing this through.

With all of this talk about Government debt going on you’d be silly not to think about your own personal debt. How are your financial management

skills? Effective personal budgeting and changing your spending habits (i.e. living only with the use of a charge card

which must be paid monthly, rather than a credit card – which you just pay the minimum and are constantly accruing high interest). Individual money management is the key to ensuring even in tough times, your standard of living can remain as good as ever.

Official Cash Rate (OCR) slashed by 1.5%

Today the Official Cash Rate (OCR) was slashed by 150 base points (1.5%) from 6.5% down to 5% by the Reserve Bank Governor Allan Bollard.

There has been speculation over the past week with many initially expecting a drop of 100 base points. In the last few days the common expectation appeared to have shifted to a likely 150 base points which puts interest rates at a 5 year low.

The move has broken records for the largest drop since the OCR was introduced in 1999.

Banks have started to reduce their interest rates accordingly with Alan Bollard directly pushing for this outcome quickly;

“To ensure the response we are seeking, we expect financial institutions to play their part in the economic adjustment process by passing on lower wholesale interest rates to their customers.”

Entertainment for Christmas

Constant reminders of the current world economic state may be hard to dodge in our media-filled lives, but that doesn’t mean scrimping on luxuries – just a change in the kind of luxuries we consume.

The entertainment industry believes that sectors like video games and DVDs will be buffered from the effects of the financial crisis that are hitting many other industries. When the film Iron Man hit DVD stores on September 30 in the US, the same week that the $700 million bailout bill was in proposition, the movie sold a record 500,000 copies on Blu-Ray for the first week. Similarly, the new James Bond film Quantum of Solace, which opens in New Zealand today, pulled in nearly US$30 million more on its opening weekend in the US in mid-November than its predecessor, Casino Royale

.

While there is no question many are tightening their belts on luxuries, it seems lower-priced entertainment is taking a bit shift to replace the luxuries of the past. While parents may have taken their children on a waterskiing holiday over Christmas in previous years, the trend this year may be buying a gift in the form of a Nintendo Wii console and a few supplementing Wii Fit games to virtually ride the waters.

With options for NZ shopping online just a click away, consumers are expected to buy up larger this year on in-home entertainment. Instead of buying a new car or taking a trip, consumers are moving to a more cost-conscious way of enjoying their disposable incomes, so don’t be surprised when you find yourself with more video games and high-def entertainment than you can shake a stick at this Christmas!

Image from Flickr

.

Economy Structure

For New Zealand’s new National-led Government to be, John Key and future Finance Minister Bill English are rushing to set up shop for reasons far more pressing than the drive to assume power.

Officials from the Treasury and the RBNZ are expected to brief Key and English on the updated economic growth forecasts (or, presumably, growth deficits) any day now. It is expected that employment rates and the Government’s accounts will be looking the darkest. With the NZD exchange rates currently still sitting under 60 US cents, the pre-election fiscal updates that were released are expected to look even worse now than a month ago.

The pre-election fiscal and economic update (Prefu) was released in early October, however the data was finalised at the end of August, meaning foreign rate and other economic forecasts were not representative of the financial crisis to come in later months. It is expected that shortfalls will amount to around $1 billion more than as released in the Prefu.

Not since 1990 has a Prime Minister-elect arrived at Parliament the day after the election has a Government faced such financial disarray. Some 18 years ago, National came to power with Jim Bolger at the helm after a Labour-led term, and was told that the mostly State-owed Bank of New Zealand immediately needed a large injection of cash.

For more information on NZ’s economy and finance, check out our New Zealand finance section, updated daily at 3.30pm.

Broker For Loan?

The current financial times, coupled with the possibility of political change after tomorrow’s election have meant personal financal decisions have been left in limbo for the past few months for many Kiwis.

Been thinking about buying a house, getting business finance or looking into getting personal finance help, but not sure exactly where to start and what to do? The news over the past few months has been so focused on the darkening state of the world economy that it’s hard to think on a smaller scale into your own personal situation.

Since the cut to the official cash rate a few weeks ago, big banks’ economists have stressed that mortgage rates are coming down and it’s a risky time to fix your interest rate for too long. ASB Bank economists even believe the OCR will drop another percent to 5.5 by early 2009 – again making anyone thinking about loans and mortgages weary about making decisions in current times. You’re probably still wondering, is it the right time to find a mortgage broker ?

Talking to a financial broker is a great step at the moment to get a full perspective of your financial situation. They’ll be able to advise how the current New Zealand economy affects you personally, and after looking at the entire picture will able to present you with next step options, and whether it’s the right time for you to act now for financial help. Still wondering broker vs bank for your financial questions? Check out our new article for a round-up on what each offers.

Official Cash Rate Change – OCR Change

The Official Cash Rate of New Zealand, or OCR, has just been changed from 7.5% to 6.5%. The current world financial crisis has played a big part in the decision to do this, announced the Reserve Bank of New Zealand late this morning.The RBNZ Governor stated that owning to the current state of the financial world;

“economic activity in New Zealand will be further constrained, relative to the outlook presented in our September Monetary Policy Statement, by current international developments. New Zealand can expect to face lower demand for exports and credit is likely to be less readily available. In this environment consumers and businesses are likely to be more cautious and curtail spending.”

Looking for your New Zealand financial hub? NZS.com has just launched a New Zealand finance section, enabling you to view and compare interest rates and exchange rates by day, month and year.

Updated daily at 3.30pm courtesy of the RBNZ, NZS.com gives you a quick, easy to comprehend view of current and archive New Zealand financial data.

Financial Crisis

You have probably heard about the world’s financial crisis which has unveiled over the last 24 hours – but investment news can be confusing to understand at the best of times. Do you know what is going on?

The Situation

The New York Stock Market saw the worst sell-off day in years yesterday, as Lehman Brothers, the fourth largest Wall Street investment bank, went under – filing for bankruptcy. Another financial management company, Merrill Lynch, then agreed to a takeover by the Bank of America, which sparked a global sell-off the stock market.

The firms plunged because of their enormous exposure to the US subprime mortgage market. This collapse is the cause for the global credit crunch, which will have worldwide effects. Economists are predicting more firms to fall into the same situation (insurance giant AIG has just been rescued by the US Government with an $85 billion emergency loan), particularly for companies with debt linked to mortgages.

How does this affect you?

While The Reserve Bank says NZ does not have much direct exposure to Lehman Brothers, AIG has 45,000 NZ customers, including some of our biggest companies. New Zealand banks are also largely owned by Australian parents, many of whom have reported direct exposure to the affected US firms.

The impact of the world financial crisis may mean New Zealand’s expected economy recovery may slow down or even not happen at all over the next year. The fall of the US firms will flow through to NZ shares and the NZ dollar, and may have significant effects on New Zealand savings schemes such as pensions, Kiwisaver and the New Zealand Superannuation Fund. Savings rates may also plunge, and mortgage rates could stay higher for longer.

Keep up to date with the financial crisis by keeping tabs on the business news headlines on NZS.com.