The New Zealand dollar was mixed against major currencies as it suffered from low liquidity and a lack of new data during the holiday period. The kiwi was little changed at 81.55 US cents at 8am in Wellington, from 81.45 cents at the New York close and 81.56 cents at 5pm in Wellington Friday. “It is the holiday season and …

After Santa brought further gains to Wall Street last week, pushing both the Dow and S&P 500 to record highs, investors will eye a speech by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke for further clues about the central bank’s plans for tapering its stimulus. Bernanke, who is set to discuss the changing Fed in Philadelphia on Friday, might offer additional guidance …

New Zealand shares fell in subdued holiday trading, putting the NZX 50 Index on route to a `17 percent annual gain. Xero, the best performer on the index, Fletcher Building and Telecom all declined, offsetting gains among mid-caps such as Hallenstein Glasson Holdings. The NZX 50 fell 0.575 points, or 0.01 percent, to 4767.360. Within the index, 13 stocks fell, …