Interest Rates

There is doubt further cuts in interest rates by the Reserve Bank will do much to help lower the dollar. The central bank wants the currency to fall and the inflation rate to rise to 2 percent… Audio

An investment analyst says those on fixed incomes will have to look at riskier options - such as the sharemarket - if they are to counter falling interest rates. Audio

Economists are optimistic the Reserve Bank might achieve its goal of actually raising inflation. And they hope the New Zealand dollar will drop putting exporters in a better position. But as Eric… Audio

But one place where the Reserve Bank's tighter rules for property lending looks like it will have a direct impact is in the interst rate market. Audio

Two interest rate cuts this year to a record low 1.75 percent cannot be discounted in the wake of another soft inflation reading and persistently high currency. Audio

Expectations have been raised that the Reserve Bank will cut rates next month after the bank said it will issue an economic update next week. Audio

The Bank of England has surprised overnight by opting to hold interest rates steady although it siognalled a rate cut could be as close as three weeks away. Audio

Interest rates are most likely to be left unchanged this week by the Reserve Bank, and indeed it's possible we have seen the last cut in the current cycle. Audio

The New Zealand dollar has notched a near three month high against its Australian counterpart, as Australia grapples with weak inflation expectations and the possibility of further interest rate cuts.

Meanwhile ASB's chief economist suggests the Reserve Bank should cut the official cash rate by 50 basis points to 1.75 percent. Audio

Westpac Bank says the Reserve Bank's restrictions on house lending and other measures to take the heat of of the housing market have improved the quality of its lending book, even if the market is… Audio

The Reserve Bank could end up leaving interest rates steady for the next three or more years. Audio

RNZ Economics correspondent Patrick O'Meara Audio

Most economists are tipping the Reserve Bank will leave the cost of borrowing unchanged at a record low 2 point 25 percent this morning. Audio

An asset manager says New Zealand's comparatively high interest rates are still a winner with overseas investors and that's likely to be the case for some time. Audio

The strength of the New Zealand dollar may be a trigger for the Reserve Bank to cut interest rates further and possibly quicker than expected. Audio