Finance

GLOBAL MARKETS: US bond and equity market remained in shutdown mode as post-tropical cyclone Sandy slammed into New Jersey , with a reported 13-foot storm surge inundating low lying areas including New York ’s subway system (see below). In Europe , markets were quiet and rangy, although sentiment remained positive on solid earnings reports from BP and Deutsche Bank AG. …

Haier has got over the 90 per cent threshold to take full control of Fisher & Paykel Appliances. It will now compulsorily acquire remaining shares and delist the company. Haier New Zealand Investment’s offer for all the shares in Fisher & Payel Appliances went unconditional last week. NZ Inc earlier reported Haier  received the Overseas Investment Office ‘s consent to proceed with …

GLOBAL MARKETS: Our London colleagues report that it was all about Hurricane Sandy overnight  with the closure of many markets, including the bond market. With trading on US Treasuries closed and further bad headlines and data out of Europe , German bunds were very well supported, as were Australasian bonds. There is still no official opening time for the CME …

Reserve Bank governor Graeme Wheeler kept the official cash rate at 2.5 percent in his debut review, and is keeping close tabs on the level of inflation after it dropped below the bank’s target band in the September quarter. Wheeler reintroduced the caveat that the record-low setting for the benchmark rate remains appropriate “for now” and brought inflation back in …

Finance Minister Bill English has welcomed strong investor demand today for the Government’s first issue of September 2025 inflation-indexed bonds. In the first issue of inflation-indexed bonds by the New Zealand Government since 1999, the Debt Management Office today issued $2.5 billion of the 2 per cent coupon bonds. The deal was heavily oversubscribed, with bids in excess of $4 …

Haier New Zealand Investment Company Ltd (Haier) has received necessary approvals from China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) to proceed with its offer to acquire all the shares in Fisher & Paykel Appliances Holdings Ltd. The offer remains subject to other regulatory approvals, including from the New Zealand Overseas Investment Office. About Haier Group Haier Group is a global …

ANZ Banking Group, New Zealand’s biggest bank, increased gross loans and advances by more than any of its main banking rivals in the three months to June 30, ahead of the announcement of the demise of its National Bank of New Zealand brand. The 1.26 percent growth in its gross loans and advances was bettered only by minnow The Cooperative …

For thirty years New Zealand has run a current account deficit, averaging around 5% of GDP.   To cover this cash outflow, New Zealanders have sold assets to, or borrowed from, foreigners.  As a result New Zealand’s net foreign liabilities are around 75% of GDP, a very high ratio by international standards. Despite recent years having enjoyed higher prices for our exports and …

Chinese whiteware maker Haier has pushed its bid Fisher & Paykel Appliances to $1.28 a share, the bottom end of the independent valuation range, gaining crucial support from institutional investors to meet its 50 percent minimum acceptance threshold. Haier raised its bid 8 cents a share, bringing it within the independent valuation of between $1.28 and $1.57, it said in …

New Zealand companies and organisations are well aware of risk management strategies and approaches, but for many it is just a box ticking exercise rather than a core management function. Murray Chandler, partner for accounting and advisory firm Grant Thornton, said that this was one of the findings from the latest Grant Thornton New Zealand Business Risk Survey: Delivering value …