12 Apr 2012

Card spending up in March

3:17 pm on 12 April 2012

Spending on credit, debit and charge cards rose in March.

Statistics New Zealand figures show retail spending using electronic cards rose a seasonally-adjusted 0.3% in the month, after falling in February.

Spending increased in most industries, especially hospitality.

Goldman Sachs economist Philip Borkin says the increase was led by people spending more at bars and on clothing.

But the underlying trend in spending on electronic cards remains tepid.

Electronic cards data, which covers about 60% of retail sales, is a key measure of monthly retail activity.