New Zealand - retail sales for Q4 +1.7% q/q (expected +1.4%)

New Zealand Retail Sales (excl inflation) for the October- December quarter

+1.7% q/q, and a solid headline beat on expected

• expected +1.4%
• prior +0.3%, revised from +0.2%

For y/y, +5.4% (prior +4.6%)

11 of the 15 retail industries higher

• largest rises were food and beverage services (up 3.7 percent), motor vehicle and parts retailing (up 2.1 percent), and supermarket and grocery stores (up 1.4 percent)
• Accommodation had the largest decrease (down 2.3 percent).

NZD very little changed net after the number ... but the result should be supportive