New Zealand enters a technical recession after the economy contracted 0.1% in the first quarter

New Zealand’s gross domestic product fell 0.1% in the first quarter, according to government data released Thursday, as the central bank embarked on one of the world’s riskiest rate hike cycles.

The latest data from Wellington points to a technical recession for the economy after that Reporting a decrease of 0.7%. In the last quarter of 2022.

A technical recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of contraction.

Compared to last year, the economy grew 2.9% in the first quarter. Economists polled by Reuters had expected New Zealand to contract by 0.1% quarter-on-quarter and grow by 2.6% year-on-year.

At its May meeting, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand raised its benchmark rate to a 14-year high, with a 25 basis point hike. The official cash rate to 5.5%.

“The New Zealand economy is in the midst of a necessary policy slowdown in the wake of a strong post-pandemic recovery,” the IMF said in its mission statement on Wednesday, ahead of the GDP release.

The International Monetary Fund also warned of the central bank’s shift to monetary policy easing measures, adding that it should still leave the door open for further interest rate hikes in the future.

“With non-tradable inflation still in place, there is little room for prolonged OCR cuts,” the IMF wrote.

“A resurgence of demand, including due to insufficient fiscal consolidation and inflation stalling above target, would warrant further tightening of monetary policy,” he said.

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