The Reserve Bank is expected to hold interest rates steady this week, with some picking a move up next year.
Monday, September 1st 2003, 4:10AM
by The Landlord
HSBC Bank said it would be "astonishing" if Reserve Bank governor Alan Bollard cut the cash rate on Thursday.
The winter power crisis was a memory, Sars was no longer an issue, business confidence had been restored and economic indicators were much stronger than expected.
Retail sales were flourishing and unemployment was at a 15-year low of just 4.7 per cent.
The housing market remains strong, with average prices up more than 14 per cent in the year to June, according to official figures out last week.