The New Zealand dollar fell against most of its trading peers amid concern the US and Chinese economies may be stumbling, weighing on growth assets such as equities, the kiwi and Australian dollars. The New Zealand dollar fell to 83.89 US cents from 84.19 cents in late New York trading on Friday. The trade-weighted index slipped to 77.65 from 77.91. …

The Reserve Bank will keep interest rates unchanged this week, though it may use the six-weekly review to highlight the conflicts of a high currency keeping prices in check and a housing market that’s threatening to stoke inflation. Governor Graeme Wheeler will keep the official cash rate at 2.5 percent, the record low it has been held at since March …

Investors should be bracing themselves for more volatility as a slew of economic data and key US corporate earnings, including Apple, will either stoke deeper losses or ease concerns about the outlook. Last week provided further concern about the strength of the world’s two largest economies, the US and China, as the latest data failed to meet expectations. China’s economy …

The New Zealand dollar is heading for a 1.8 percent fall against the greenback as optimism about the health of the global economy fades, sapping demand for risk-sensitive assets. The kiwi rose to 84.34 US cents at 5pm in Wellington from 84.11 cents at 8am, down from 84.52 cents yesterday. The trade-weighted index fell to 77.81 at 5pm from 78 …

Meridian Energy and the owners of its largest customer, the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, are continuing to talk after an intense three days’ face to face negotiation last week, with parties in both Wellington and Sydney crunching numbers on possible new deals. Neither side will comment on the record, but BusinessDesk understands efforts to find common ground on a new …

Contact Energy shares dropped almost 6 percent in early NZX trading, with the company saying it was “hard to see” how it would have justified investing $2.5 billion in new power plants if the Labour-Greens electricity policy had been in place. In a statement not issued to the NZX but received by BusinessDesk, Contact chief executive Dennis Barnes says “under …

The New Zealand dollar fell as weaker US data and disappointing earnings stoked concerns global growth may be slowing and weighed on stocks and risk appetite. The kiwi fell to 84.11 US cents from 84.51 cents at 5pm in Wellington yesterday. The trade-weighted index fell to 77.65 from 77.99. The Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank’s business activity index fell to 1.3 …

Wall Street dropped on disappointing earnings from companies including Morgan Stanley and eBay as well as the latest economic indicators suggesting a slowdown in the pace of the recovery. Shares of Morgan Stanley and eBay fell, last down 4.7 percent and 5.4 percent respectively, as they posted results that fell short of expectations. So did UnitedHealth Group, sending its shares …

New Zealand shares fell as investors assessed the potential threat to power company earnings from a Labour Party-Green Party plan to overhaul the electricity sector if elected. Contact Energy, TrustPower, Infratil and Vector all declined. The NZX 50 Index fell 36.16 points, or 0.8 percent, to 4442.10. Within the index, 38 stocks fell, nine rose and three were unchanged. Turnover …

The Supreme Court has rejected a bid by two Christchurch firms to appeal a decision relating to the way Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee used his powers over land zoning in Christchurch, saying it would be “inappropriate” for the bench to give advisory opinions on how minsters exercise their powers. Independent Fisheries and Clearwater Land Holdings were seeking leave to …