Wall Street slid as US companies including Best Buy and Citigroup reported results that fell short of expectations, fuelling concern some valuations are not justified by the outlook. In afternoon trading in New York today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.43 percent, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fell 0.24 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index edged 0.04 percent …

New Zealand shares rose to a two-month high, paced by Chorus, Kathmandu and Sky Network Television as the prospects of strong economic growth drew retail investors to the equity market. Hallenstein Glasson Holdings tumbled after posting weak December sales. The NZX 50 Index advanced 8.256 points, or about 0.2 percent, to 4921.290, the highest since Nov. 15. Within the index, …

Xero, whose shares soared 333 percent in 2013, has put down a rising share price to positive press, a growing brand in the US and high volatility from being closely held after getting a ‘please explain’ notice from the stock market regulator. The share market supervisor questioned a 42 percent gain in the Xero share price from Dec. 5 to …