New Zealand’s building work grew for a fifth quarter in the final three months of 2012, though the pace of residential construction growth slowed in the period. The volume of all building work grew a seasonally adjusted 1.8 percent in the three months ended Dec. 31, slowing from a 9.8 percent pace of expansion in the September period, according to …

The value of cash market trading on New Zealand’s stock exchange jumped 58 percent in February from the same month a year earlier as low interest rates keep investors looking for better returns. Total trades increased 4.8 percent to 81,624 last month from February 2011 with the total value traded at $3.5 billion, according to the NZX’s monthly metrics. Average …

The death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had the Prime Minister’s staff burning the midnight oil at a humid hotel on the Colombian coast to recalibrate the Chilean part of his four country Latin American swing to accommodate the wish of Chilean President Sebastian Pinera to attend Chavez’s state funeral. The state funeral is due to take place in Caracas …