New Zealand GDP likely suffered less from Delta

Less negative: People walk near a cafe on Lambton Quay in Wellington. A milder slump in GDP and signs of an immediate return to growth in the final months of 2021, suggest price pressures could keep building in 2022. — Bloomberg

WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s economy may have suffered less damage from the Delta outbreak in the third quarter than the central bank expected, adding to risks of faster inflation.

Economists estimate that gross domestic product (GDP) fell 4.1% in the three months ended Sept 30, according to the median forecast in a Bloomberg survey.