The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says an Official Cash Rate (OCR) in New Zealand of 3.25% by the middle of this year would be “appropriate” and that reinforces what most economists have been saying.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the IMF said an OCR of around 3.25% by mid-2025 should be appropriate to keep inflation within the 1% to 3% target band, “if economic conditions progress as expected” but also warns that the Reserve Bank in New Zealand will need to carefully monitor house prices as historically the country has seen high house price growth when the interest rates have been low.
What Else Do The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Say?
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is relatively upbeat about New Zealand’s economy, saying that they believe that we’ve turned the corner after a very difficult 2024.
After the recession, they say the recovery is underway now!
They predict some growth in the later half of 2025 and then 2026. While local economists are picking this weeks Gross Domestic Product (GDP) announcement for the December quarter to signal a gradual recovery with a range between 0.3% and 0.5% for the quarter-on-quarter growth figure, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have growth projected to rebound to 1.4% in 2025 and accelerate to 2.7% in 2026.
