Finance

The Bank of New Zealand is increasingly concerned the economy is grinding to a halt following today’s confirmation in the ANZ Bank Business Outlook survey of slumping business confidence. “As each day passes, the likelihood of our alternative scenario, of an economy stumbling to near-recession, increases,” said head of research Stephen Toplis in analysis released at much the same time as …

The New Zealand dollar fell after figures showed business confidence sank to a six-year low this month, stoking speculation the Reserve Bank will be prepared to make deeper cuts to interest rates to revive an economy showing little sign of accelerating inflation. The kiwi fell to 64.21 US cents as at 5pm, in Wellington, from 64.53 cents at the New York close on …

SkyCity Entertainment Group may raise more capital selling notes in the US private placement market after completing the sale of as much as $125 million of seven-year bonds next month that it plans to use to repay bank debt. Standard & Poor’s today assigned a BBB- rating to the casino operator’s bond sale, which is to open on Sept. 3 and close on Sept. 22. That matches …

HRL Morrison & Co subsidiary JIDA Capital Partners and Shenzhen-based CGN Private Equity Fund Management have raised 1.87 billion Chinese yuan (NZ$451.7 million) from institutional investors to launch a new fund focusing on Chinese renewable energy assets. The unlisted private equity infrastructure fund, CGN Fund III, is seeking to raise 5 billion yuan, which it will mainly invest in operating …

The New Zealand dollar slumped to its lowest level in six years as equities sank amid concerns about global growth. The kiwi touched 62.44 US cents overnight, its lowest level since July 2009, amid low liquidity, and was trading at 64.90 cents at 8am in Wellington, from 65.89 cents at 5pm yesterday. The trade-weighted index fell to 69.98 from 71.04 …

New Zealand shares rose, led by Westpac Banking Corp, as dual-listed stocks rebounded from a sharp drop yesterday. Australia and New Zealand Banking Group and Spark New Zealand gained. The S&P/NZX 50 Index rose 5.98 points, or 0.1 percent, to 5613.29, somewhat reversing yesterday’s biggest drop in four years. Within the index, 15 stocks rose, 28 fell and seven were unchanged. Turnover was $260 million. Some …

Beingmate Baby & Child Food Co shares fell to their lowest since February 2013, after being caught up in the global share-market rout that’s dented Chinese equity markets, slicing more than $200 million from Fonterra Cooperative Group’s investment in the Hanzhou-based infant formula maker. The Shenzhen stock exchange-listed shares dropped 10 percent to 11.87 Chinese yuan, the lowest level since …

Contact Energy, which generates about a quarter of New Zealand’s electricity, plans to sell as much as $125 million of six-year bonds in the final step of its refinancing programme. The Wellington-based company will offer $100 million of unsecured, unsubordinated, fixed-rate bonds to institutional investors and New Zealand retail investors, with the potential for a further $25 million in oversubscriptions, it said …

Contact Energy, which generates about a quarter of New Zealand’s electricity, plans to sell as much as $125 million of six-year bonds in the final step of its refinancing programme. The Wellington-based company will offer $100 million of unsecured, unsubordinated, fixed-rate bonds to institutional investors and New Zealand retail investors, with the potential for a further $25 million in oversubscriptions, it said …

The Federal Reserve is preparing for its annual meeting in Jackson Hole amid intensifying concern the slowing growth in China will impact the global economy and US corporate profits. Wall Street sank last week, along with other equity markets, as did US oil which briefly slid below US$40 a barrel. The declining appeal of stocks and an increased appetite for …