Finance

By Paul McBeth Sept. 22 (BusinessDesk) – Synlait Milk, which counts China’s Bright Dairy & Food as its biggest shareholder, posted a 46 percent drop in annual profit as lactoferrin sales missed expectations and it kept milk payments high enough to ensure supply. Synlait cut its payout forecast for the current season. Net profit dropped to $10.6 million, or 7.21 cents per share, …

By Paul McBeth Sept. 18 (BusinessDesk) – Lines companies Buller Electricity and Pioneer Generation plan to mount a takeover of electricity retailer Pulse Energy, though haven’t settled on an offer price yet. Pulse Energy was told by its 56 percent shareholder Buller Electricity that the West Coast-based lines company will team up with Otago-based Pioneer to buy the remaining Pulse …

By Pattrick Smellie Sept. 17 (BusinessDesk) – A New South Wales-based mining investor, Mach Energy, is expected to make an alternative bid for distressed state-owned coal miner Solid Energy at today’s ‘watershed’ meeting of creditors in Christchurch this morning. BusinessDesk reliably understands Mach will seek a 30 day delay to the vote scheduled at today’s meeting of Solid Energy creditors, …

Solid Energy’s banking backers can expect to get back between 35 cents and 40 cents in the dollar under a Deed of Company Arrangement that will allow the insolvent state-owned coal miner to be wound up and its saleable assets disposed of over the next two and a half years. A raft of banks, local authorities and businesses including Kiwirail, Fonterra …

By Fiona Rotherham Sept. 9 (BusinessDesk) – Fonterra Cooperative Group, the country’s largest milk processor, has confirmed it has put on hold a proposed coal mine at Mangatangi while it assesses its energy options. The Coal Action Network Aotearoa (CANA), which is trying to stop coal mining in New Zealand, said Fonterra sent a letter last week to local residents …

Christchurch International Airport, which is 75 percent owned by the city council, more than doubled full-year profit and lifted dividends for the year, including a special payment from proceeds of a property sale. Net profit rose to $37.8 million in the 12 months ended June 30, from $15.7 million a year earlier, the company said in a statement. Operating revenue rose …

Diligent Corp, the governance software developer, appointed a permanent chief financial officer as it recovers from a string of errors in filing its financial statements. Michael Stanton will today take over as CFO from interim CFO and corporate controller Alex Sanchez, who will continue as vice president and chief accounting officer, the New York-based, New Zealand-listed company said in a …

Shares on both sides of the Atlantic moved higher, triggered in part by a late surge in Chinese equities, amid optimism China’s government will act to support its flagging economy. In New York trading at about 2.45pm, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 2.3 percent, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index climbed 2.1 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index added …

Chinese investors, who return to trading after a four-day break, may be the key to sentiment this week and whether global equities will remain volatile. China’s stock markets were closed last Thursday and Friday for ceremonies to mark the end of World War II. Ahead of the resumption of trade, People’s Bank of China Governor Zhou Xiaochuan said the rout …

New Zealand firms grew even gloomier in August as falling commodity prices and a lack of inflation looks set to keep profits down, and have scaled back their intentions to take on new staff or invest in their business. A net 29 percent of firms were pessimistic about the general economic outlook over the coming year, deteriorating from a net …