Stocks fell on both sides of the Atlantic, while US Treasuries gained as the midnight deadline to reach an agreement on continuing to fund the US government approached with no deal in sight. At the centre of the standstill is President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, which Tea Party activists in the Republican Party are determined to block. Congress is …

The New Zealand dollar may decline toward the end of the year, helping exporters such as fishing company Sanford who see the value of their overseas sales eroded when the currency rises. The kiwi, which recently traded at 83.16 US cents, is likely to decline to 79.50 US cents by the end of 2013 as the US starts trimming back …

New Zealand shares fell, paced by Telecom and MightyRiverPower, ahead of a possible US budget stalemate and as the government scheduled a referendum on state asset sales for after the selldown of Meridian Energy that went on sale today. The NZX 50 Index fell 46.292 points, or about 1 percent, to 4736.387. Within the index, 37 stocks fell, four rose …