WELLINGTON, Nov 10 (Reuters) - New Zealand electronic retail card sales declined for the first time in four months in October, driven by falls in consumables such as food and liquor, data showed on Tuesday.
Electronic card transactions, which include debit, credit and charge cards used at the point of sale, showed retail spending fell a seasonally adjusted 0.2 percent last month, following a rise of 0.7 percent in September, Statistics New Zealand said.
The data covers around two-thirds of retail sales, but the government agency has said it should not be used as an indicator of the whole retail sector, because it does not include cash and cheque transactions.
Analysts see electronic transactions as an indicator of consumer spending.
Electronic transactions for core retail groups, which excludes motor vehicle-related industries, fell a seasonally adjusted 0.4 percent, after a 0.4 percent rise the month before.
Overall seasonally adjusted electronic card spending, which includes transactions in industries other than retail, rose 0.2 percent, the fourth straight monthly increase, driven by fuel retailing.
Trends for the overall, retail and core retail electronic card transactions have been increasing since early this year. The latest figures suggest the trend for the retail series may have picked up in the last three months.
September quarter retail sales data is due on Nov 12 with a Reuters poll forecasting a flat showing in seasonally-adjusted sales on the previous quarter.
New Zealand emerged unexpectedly from recession in the second quarter, posting a slight 0.1 percent growth to end the longest contraction on record, backing other data showing the economy slowly returning to a growth path. Domestic activity accounts for around 60 percent of the economy.
((Wellington newsroom tel 64 4471 4234, fax +64 4 4736 212,
wellington.newsroom@reuters.com)) Keywords: NEWZEALAND ECONOMY/ECARDS (If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
Electronic card transactions, which include debit, credit and charge cards used at the point of sale, showed retail spending fell a seasonally adjusted 0.2 percent last month, following a rise of 0.7 percent in September, Statistics New Zealand said.
The data covers around two-thirds of retail sales, but the government agency has said it should not be used as an indicator of the whole retail sector, because it does not include cash and cheque transactions.
Analysts see electronic transactions as an indicator of consumer spending.
Electronic transactions for core retail groups, which excludes motor vehicle-related industries, fell a seasonally adjusted 0.4 percent, after a 0.4 percent rise the month before.
Overall seasonally adjusted electronic card spending, which includes transactions in industries other than retail, rose 0.2 percent, the fourth straight monthly increase, driven by fuel retailing.
Trends for the overall, retail and core retail electronic card transactions have been increasing since early this year. The latest figures suggest the trend for the retail series may have picked up in the last three months.
September quarter retail sales data is due on Nov 12 with a Reuters poll forecasting a flat showing in seasonally-adjusted sales on the previous quarter.
New Zealand emerged unexpectedly from recession in the second quarter, posting a slight 0.1 percent growth to end the longest contraction on record, backing other data showing the economy slowly returning to a growth path. Domestic activity accounts for around 60 percent of the economy.
((Wellington newsroom tel 64 4471 4234, fax +64 4 4736 212,
wellington.newsroom@reuters.com)) Keywords: NEWZEALAND ECONOMY/ECARDS (If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
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