WELLINGTON, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Retail card spending was quiet in the December 2018 quarter, New Zealand's statistics department Stats NZ said on Wednesday.
When adjusted for seasonal effects, retail card spending was down 0.2 percent in the December 2018 quarter. This followed a 2.1-percent rise in the September 2018 quarter.
"The dip in the December 2018 quarter came after a strong September quarter," retail statistics manager Sue Chapman said in a statement.
Spending rose in four of the six retail industries. The largest movement was in the fuel industry, which was followed by the food and liquor retailing or "consumables" industry.
"The fall in the fuel industry coincided with petrol prices falling from record highs," Chapman said, adding by the end of the December quarter, petrol prices had come down nearly 40 cents (27 U.S. cents) a liter.
Core retail spending, which excludes the vehicle-related industries, rose 0.5 percent, after a 1.9-percent rise in the September 2018 quarter, statistics showed.
Actual retail spending using electronic cards was 18 billion NZ dollars in the December quarter, up 3.5 percent from the December 2017 quarter, according to Stats NZ.
