New Zealand new vehicle sales reached their highest ever for November with 2014 expected to be a record year as a buoyant local economy and cheaper prices underpin demand. Registrations for new vehicles rose 7.6 percent to 11,176 in November from the previous record for the month in 2013, the Lower Hutt-based Motor Industry Association said in a statement. New vehicle …

Equities on Wall Street gained, along with the US dollar, amid optimism the American economy remains on firm footing after a report showed spending on construction is outpacing forecasts. In afternoon trading in New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.51 percent, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index gained 0.54 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index added 0.41 percent. …

Summerset Group Holdings, the listed retirement village, has been granted resource consent for its $80 million Wigram village, its first in Christchurch. The new site will have some 200 units, including villas, townhouses and care apartments as well as 50 hospital-level beds, the Wellington-based company said in a statement. Building will begin next month with first homes opening late next year. …