New Zealand inflation unexpectedly edged higher in the final three months of 2013, led by more expensive airfares, housing and dairy prices. The consumers price index increased 0.1 percent in the three months ended Dec. 31, slowing from a quarterly increase of 0.9 percent, according to Statistics New Zealand. That was against a forecast decline of 0.1 percent in a Reuters survey of economists and the Reserve Bank's expectation of a 0.2 percent fall. The annual pace of inflation was 1.6 percent, its fastest pace since March 2012 and slightly ahead of forecasts. The increase was underpinned by a 12 percent rise in the ... (full story)