Tourism Industry Aotearoa is excited about the Government's new growth agenda.

Minister-in-charge Nicola Willis is considering visa changes, hoping to pull in more tourists.

Just over 321,000 people entered the country from overseas in November - 86 percent of pre-pandemic figures.

CEO Rebecca Ingram says there's lots of room to build on that. 

"So as an industry, we're delighted to see such a strong focus on economic growth from the Government with the new portfolio for Minister Willis."

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Donald Trump officially got the keys back to the White House earlier this week - and his return to power could have an impact on NZX-listed businesses.

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare produces medical devices sold in the US, and it's likely the incoming tariffs could leave an impact.

Milford Asset Management's Jeremy Hutton explains further.

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New reports indicate the Indian Government is sounding out the nation's biggest businesses to determine how they feel about a trade agreement with New Zealand.

The Indian Government reportedly sent an email to members of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry asking for feedback on the idea of starting negotiations with NZ on a free trade agreement.

India NZ Business Council chair Bharat Chawla explains what this could mean going forward.

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A media commentator says cuts at NZME are just the latest in a troubled industry. 

NZ Herald and Newstalk ZB owner NZME is proposing a restructure, with a net loss of about 38 roles.

Spinoff founder Duncan Grieve says all around the world massive cuts are taking place while other brands disappear completely. 

He says it's not a problem which is likely to go away.

"It wouldn't shock me if this was just setting off another year of that - and it might not be anything like the biggest we're going to see."

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Confidence another substantial Official Cash Rate cut's on the cards, with today's figures showing inflation is still under control.

Stats NZ says the rate for the year to December remained unchanged at 2.2 percent.

Inflation is well down from the 2022 high of 7.3 percent, but still higher than the 1.5 percent reached in 2021.

Infometrics Chief Forecaster Gareth Kiernan says he's confident the Reserve Bank will slice 50 basis points from the OCR in February.

"Non-tradeable inflation is still coming down - there's risks on the tradeable side, but I don't think there's enough there to sway the Reserve Bank towards going with a smaller 25 point cut."

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There’s a belief we're still yet to reap the benefits of having inflation under control. 

Latest Stats NZ figures show the inflation rate for the year to December was 2.2%, unchanged from September. 

Inflation is well down on the once-in-a-generation high of 7.3% of just two and a half years ago. 

The Herald's Liam Dann told John McDonald we're still yet to see many prices come down. 

He says rents are still up for example, but they should be coming down with a struggling property market. 

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Business executives, academics, Government officials and civic leaders are expected to gather in Switzerland for the World Economic forum - and there's one key name on everyone's lips. 

Donald Trump's return to the White House is set to be a topic of discussion, with experts set to participate in an upcoming '47th US Presidency, Early Thoughts' panel.

UK correspondent Enda Brady says wars, misinformation and climate change are also expected to be discussed at length.

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Over in Australia, the unemployment rate increased to 4 percent in December - raising questions ahead of a potential interest rate cut next month.

Unemployment is one of the key metrics the RBA uses to inform interest rate settings, and a weakening market could encourage the central bank to reduce rates.

HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham explains further.

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It's been a big week for the US, with Donald Trump returning to the Oval Office for his second term as US President.

His plan for tariffs has sparked concern among many key industries, with Kiwi farmers wondering what this means for one of New Zealand's biggest red meat markets.

The Country's Jamie Mackay explains further.

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Economists have revealed retail spending numbers were better than expected for the month of December.

The total value of electronic card spending, including in non-retail services and other non-retail categories, rose a seasonally adjusted 1.5 percent to $9.23 billion in December from November, according to Stats NZ. 

That brought total spending in line with levels last seen in November 2023.

Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen says this is a sign green shoots are returning to the economy.

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