Wall Street moved lower as investors positioned themselves on the eve of the US third-quarter earnings season. Shares of Micron dropped, last down 4.2 percent, after Samsung said it plans to spend US$14.7 billion on a new chip facility in South Korea. Micron is the largest US chipmaker. “Semiconductor has been Samsung’s long-time key business, while the company can no …

New Zealand property values rose at the slowest annual pace in 15 months in September, while certainty after the general election, new spring listings and interest rates remaining on hold renewed interest in the market, according to state-owned valuer Quotable Values. Property values rose 6.4 percent nationwide in September from a year earlier, slowing from an annual pace of 6.9 percent …

The biggest winner in today’s new Cabinet line-up from Prime Minister John Key is Simon Bridges, who moves from 18th to ninth in the rankings and picks up the politically important transport portfolio from Gerry Brownlee. Returning to the environment portfolio, previously held by Amy Adams, is Nick Smith, signalling a softening in the government’s intended reforms to the Resource …