The New Zealand dollar advanced in subdued trading heading into the quiet Christmas holiday period. The kiwi edged up to 82.06 US cents at 8am in Wellington, from 81.93 cents at 5pm yesterday even after reports showing US consumer spending and consumer sentiment at five month highs. The trade-weighted index strengthened to 77.50 from 77.43 yesterday. The New Zealand dollar …

Wall Street rose, pushing the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index to fresh record highs, as the International Monetary Fund said it plans to lift its outlook for the US economy. “Growth is picking up and unemployment is going down,” IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said yesterday on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press.’ “So all of …

New Zealand shares rallied as Australia & New Zealand Banking Group and Westpac Banking Corp shrugged off Australian regulatory requirements to hold more capital and offshore investors saw value in a market that has lagged global peers in recent days. The NZX 50 Index rose 41.444 points, or 0.9 percent, to 4722.635. Within the index, 33 stocks rose, 11 fell …