The New Zealand dollar was confined in a narrow range ahead of the release of the December quarter consumer price index (CPI) this morning. The kiwi was at 84.10 US cents at 8am, up from 83.93 US cents at 5pm on Thursday. “It traded in a 40 point range at best overnight ,” Mike Jones, from the sales team at …

Equities on both sides of the Atlantic rose as buoyant data on the US housing and labour markets as well as better-than-expected earnings from eBay bolstered hopes the economy is in better shape than feared. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits last week dropped 37,000 to a seasonally adjusted 335,000, the lowest level since January 2008, according to the Labor …

New Zealand shares rose as another consumer confidence survey showed improving sentiment, especially in Auckland, even as Australian jobs data disappointed financial markets. The NZX50 rose 27.57 points, or 0.66 percent, to 4196.81, closing on a 1,000 point gain in the last 12 months. On the same day last year, the NZX50 stood at 3234.805. Within the index 22 stocks …