Today was Friday in Beijing, the final day of the working week and the last full-day of our work program until we reach Shanghai on Monday. First up was a meeting with Nicola Morris, General Manager of Fonterra’s farm operations here in China. She walked us through exactly how New Zealand’s largest company was getting on over in China. The …

New Zealand shares were sold off across the board, following a strong run earlier in the week. December quarter inflation figures showed a fall in prices in the last three months of last year, indicating sustained economic weakness, while Chinese growth data was soft. The NZX50 Index fell 32.63 points, or 0.77 percent, to 4614.17. Within the index, five stocks …

Government pension and savings funds collectively own more than 5 percent of 47 companies listed on the NZX and more than 10 percent of 17 companies. The analysis of combined market power of Accident Compensation Compensation, New Zealand Super Fund, Government Superfund and National Provident Fund is disclosed in an annual portfolio report by Treasury’s Crown Ownership Monitoring unit. The …