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NZ terms of trade rise 4.4% in March quarter
New Zealand's terms of trade unexpectedly rose in the first three months of the year as cheap petrol pushed down import prices while export prices were little changed. The merchandise goods terms of trade, which measures the purchasing power of New Zealand's exports abroad, rose 4.4 percent in the March quarter as export prices were unchanged and import prices fell 4.3 percent, Statistics New Zealand said. The increase snapped two-quarters of declines and was better than the 0.2 percent fall predicted in a Reuters survey. Import prices were led by a 24 percent slump in petrol and petroleum products, following on from ... (full story)