Explainers on the data we republish
Notes.
Notes explain the series we republish: what each measure is, who produces it, and how to read it without over-interpreting. Every figure quoted in a note comes from the same official files that feed our desk sites. Explanations are general and factual; nothing here is advice.
Key rates & policy
What the OCR is and who decides it
An explainer on the Official Cash Rate: what the RBNZ number measures, who at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand sets it, and why the decision meetings matter.
NZ interest rates
New Zealand's official cash rate: where it is and how it got there
The OCR stands at 2.50% after the 2026 hike. A walk through the 78 decisions in the RBNZ series, from 1999 to today.
NZ interest rates
Floating mortgage rates and the OCR: how they move together
Why New Zealand's floating mortgage rates track the OCR so closely, and what the 2024–2026 rate cycle means for variable-rate borrowers.
NZ interest rates
Term deposit rates after the OCR cycle
How term deposit pricing follows the OCR, what a falling-then-firming policy path means for savers, and how to compare offers.
Prices & inflation
How to read consumer price indexes (US, UK, NZ)
Three CPI series share a name and none of the numbers: bases, frequencies and levels differ. How to compare CPI-U, UK CPI and the Stats NZ index correctly.
Output & GDP
GDP per capita versus GDP growth
Two GDP series answer different questions. What the 2025 World Bank figures show for the US, Australia, the UK and New Zealand, and when each measure misleads.
Housing
New Zealand's house price index (2015=100) explained
What an index at 167 means, how the OECD-sourced house-price series works, and what the price-to-income ratio does and does not tell you.
Labour & wages
Mean versus median earnings
Average and median wages answer different questions about the pay distribution. What the ILOSTAT PPP series shows for the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Labour & productivity
What output per worker really measures
Labour productivity is one of the most quoted and least understood economic ratios. What it does and does not say about effort, skill or pay.
Labour market
Reading unemployment rates across countries
Why Spain's 10.4% and Japan's 2.5% cannot be compared at face value: definitions, survey design and labour-force participation behind the ILO numbers.
Labour market
Youth unemployment versus the headline rate
Youth unemployment runs well above the headline rate in every economy on our list. What the ILOSTAT youth series shows in 2025 and why the gap varies.
Holidays & calendars
US federal holidays 2026: a practical guide
The eleven dates in the official 2026 US federal holiday calendar, how shifting rules work when a date lands on a weekend, and what 'federal' actually covers.
Housing
The median house price: what it measures and what it omits
The middle sale is a transaction, not a valuation. Why mix, region and incentives move a median, and how to pair it with a mix-adjusted index.
Holidays & calendars
Why holiday dates differ between countries
Christmas is fixed, Easter and Lunar New Year are not, and weekend rules change the day observed. How six countries' calendars differ.
Housing
Price-to-income versus price-to-rent
Affordability against incomes, yield against rents. Two OECD ratio indices that answer different questions about the same market.
Housing
What real house prices mean
Nominal price tags versus purchasing power. Why the deflated house-price index tells a different long-run story.
Labour market
Labour-force participation, explained
What the participation rate counts, who sits outside the labour force, and why it must be read with the unemployment rate.
Labour market
Male and female unemployment rates
Rates differ by sex, and the gap flips across economies. What sectoral composition and hours patterns explain — and what they do not.
NZ interest rates
The NZ floating mortgage rate against the OCR
The floating rate sits above the OCR by a margin that moves. How pass-through, basis risk and new-customer pricing work.
Key rates & policy
Policy interest rates compared
A target range, a bank rate and a deposit facility rate are not the same instrument. Why direction of travel beats a level ranking.
Indexes and glossaries
Each note is written alongside one of our reference desks, where the full official series is published in tables and charts. Desks:
Desk
Cash rate
Policy interest rates: NZ OCR, US Fed funds, UK Bank Rate and more.
cashrate.younivi.com/Desk
Price index
Consumer price indexes from the BLS, ONS, Stats NZ and other agencies.
priceindex.younivi.com/all/cpi/Desk
GDP
GDP per capita, growth and totals from World Bank Open Data.
gdp.younivi.com/gdp-per-capitaDesk
House price
Residential house-price indexes, year-over-year change and price-to-income.
houseprice.younivi.com/hpi