Finance

Hanover Finance former shareholder Eric Watson isn’t contributing to the $18 million settlement reached between the Financial Markets Authority and directors and promoters of the group just two weeks before a civil claim was due to be heard in court. His name is omitted from the settlement agreement which lists contributions from the other five directors and promoters – Mark …

The Financial Markets Authority has settled a civil claim against the directors and promoters of failed finance company Hanover Finance for $18 million just two weeks before it was due to be heard in court. The money will be distributed to eligible investors who invested in the Hanover Finance Ltd (HFL), Hanover Capital Ltd (HCL), United Finance Ltd (UFL), in …

New Zealand’s five major banks (ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Kiwibank and Westpac) have continued to show strong profits and lending growth in the first quarter of the 2015 however lending margins are beginning to contract due to stiff competition. Net profit before tax increased by $94 million or 5.9% to $1.69 billion for the first quarter of 2015, compared to $1.59 …

The New Zealand dollar is heading for a 1.8 percent weekly decline as financial markets remain volatile ahead of Greece’s referendum on whether to accept a bailout package from its European creditors, and as the wheels start coming off the local economy. The kiwi dropped to 67.18 US cents at 5pm in Wellington from 68.42 cents on Friday in New York …

Kathmandu has urged shareholders to take no action on a full takeover offer from Briscoe Group pending the board’s response and has retained Goldman Sachs as an adviser.  Briscoe, the homewares and sports good retailer, yesterday offered 89.7 million of its own shares and $32.3 million cash for the 80.1 percent of the outdoor equipment and clothing chain it doesn’t already own. The …

Marlborough Lines has bought an 80 percent stake in Yealands Wine Group, New Zealand’s sixth-largest wine exporter, for $89 million. The South Island electricity lines company took control from founder Peter Yealands, who wanted to keep the winery fully New Zealand owned, the companies said in a joint statement. Marlborough Lines is debt free and had realised $100 million in cash from …

The New Zealand dollar touched a fresh five-year low after dairy prices fell to a six-year low in the GlobalDairyTrade auction overnight, paced by whole milk powder, the nation’s key export commodity. The kiwi touched 67.27 US cents and was trading at 67.41 cents at 8am in Wellington, from 67.95 cents at 5pm yesterday. The trade-weighted index dropped to 70.73 from …

Veteran corporate raider Ron Brierley is bringing his latest investment vehicle, Mercantile Investment, to the NZX, with a listing scheduled for next week. The Sydney-based investment firm has been approved by stock market operator NZX for a compliance listing on July 6, it said in a statement to the ASX yesterday. The move makes it easier for New Zealand investors …

Kathmandu shares soared to a four-month high after Briscoe Group acquired a 19.9 percent stake and said it plans to make a full takeover, raising the prospect that managing director Rod Duke could use his skills to revive the struggling outdoor equipment and clothing chain. Kathmandu stock rose as much as 29 percent to $1.80, the price Briscoe paid institutions for most of the …

Briscoe Group, the retailer controlled by managing director Rod Duke, has acquired 19.9 percent of Kathmandu and said it plans to make a full takeover offer for the outdoor equipment and clothing chain. Auckland-based Briscoe said it picked up 4.99 percent of Kathmandu over time and has subsequently acquired 14.9 percent of the target from institutional investors for $1.80 a share. That …