Hungarian Prime Minister Majol: The energy price support plan will continue next year.

White House National Economic Council Director Hassett: People are “ecstatic” about the excellent economic performance.

Westpac Bank updated its forecasts for a range of New Zealand economic data, believing that energy costs and higher long-term interest rates will suppress consumption and investment; on the other hand, the weak New Zealand dollar is supporting manufacturing exports and tourism. Westpac lowered its year-on-year GDP growth forecast for New Zealand by 0.3 percentage points to 2.7% at the end of 2027; its CPI forecast for the end of 2026 is 4.3%, and for the end of 2027 it is 1.6%, forming a typical combination of slowing growth and high inflation. In this context, the impact of the depreciating New Zealand dollar on the export sector and household purchasing power is mixed. Given weak domestic demand, the local hotel and tourism-related industries have relied on foreign tourists to drive consumption growth. The good news is that inbound tourist arrivals in August reached a new high since the pandemic, up 8% year-on-year.

White House National Economic Council Director Hassett: Travel and airfare spending are a good sign for the economy.

White House National Economic Council Director Hassett: Non-essential leisure travel spending indicates that people are feeling good about their economic situation.

Swap market data shows that the probability of the Bank of Canada raising interest rates in October has fallen from 74% before the inflation data was released to 68%.