WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand's near-term inflation expectations increased in the third quarter, but remained below the central bank's target midpoint for the next year, a survey showed on Wednesday.
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand's quarterly survey of expectations showed business managers forecast annual inflation to average 1.86 percent over the coming year, from 1.8 percent in the previous survey.
Two-year inflation expectations edged up to 2.04 from 2.01 percent.
The RBNZ is set to announce its next monetary policy decision on Thursday and is widely expected to keep rates on hold.
(Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield and John Mair in WELLINGTON; Editing by Richard Borsuk)
