World economy seeking new leader to spur growth
In the 1990s it was America spurring world economic growth, in the 21st Century it has been China fuelling the world’s economic growth. With China showing more and more signs of a faltering economy, will the US be able to pick up the mantle, will a new country or region pick up the pieces, or will the world’s economy simply limp along waiting for China to kick start its economy?
The Internet of Things
Recently there has been a lot of attention on the Internet of Things (IoT) and how it will revolutionize our lives. The IoT more or less involves connecting every day ‘dumb’ household devices like air conditioners and garage doors to the internet using a built-in integrated chip and a modem. The idea is that once these devices ‘go online’ they will be able to transmit data back to their manufacturers and communicate with each other to make decisions based on ‘environmental’ conditions; a process known as machine to machine learning in tech jargon. The term itself has been around for a long time and was coined back in 1999 by British researcher/tech entrepreneur Kevin Ashton.
Stark downgrade of forecast economic outlook by RB
The widely expected OCR cut was not the most significant aspect of September’s Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Statement. The far more significant aspect was the somewhat jaw-dropping downgrade in the economic forecast picture that the Reserve Bank now paints.
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
BERL is proud to be associated with the New Zealand Festival 2016 as a corporate patron. We look forward to The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo showcasing in Wellington in February 2016 which will bring performers and visitors from all over adding to the vibrant feel that Wellington is renowned for – see the Festival website for details 2016 New Zealand Festival.
New Zealand Festival 2016
BERL is proud to be associated with the New Zealand Festival 2016 as a corporate patron. BERL has been associated with this iconic Wellington event since 2006 and we look forward to another exciting Festival in February 2016. The influx of performers, visitors and shows adds to the vibrant feel that Wellington is renowned for – see the Festival website for details 2016 New Zealand Festival
Jobs up, but growth slowing; jobless up and increasing faster
Job growth slowed considerably during the September quarter, with latest figures showing 33,000 positions added nationally over the year to September. This is a clear slowing from the 68,000 growth over the year to June, and the 70,000 added in the year to June 2014.
Kiwi generosity remains at higher post-earthquake levels, new giving report shows
New Zealanders have maintained the outpouring of generosity sparked by the Christchurch earthquakes, according to Giving New Zealand: Philanthropic Funding 2014. The report, based on research commissioned by Philanthropy New Zealand and carried out by BERL with sponsorship from Perpetual Guardian, has found that total giving in 2014 was almost identical to the revised estimate for 2011 – $2.788 billion in 2014 compared with $2.789 billion in 2011.
The fizz has gone out of job market
Employment annual growth has fallen from the dizzy heights of 60,000 to 80,000 per annum we had in 2013 and 2014. The last two quarters’ data sees employment growth flattening at about 33,000 per year.
Memo to deflation deniers
To those inflation hawks that believe inflation continues to lurk in the dark shadows, please peruse the following charts noting in particular …