Better-than-expected Chinese data and takeover deals helped bolster Wall Street, which also welcomed a Russian proposal to put Syria’s chemical weapons under international control in an effort to avert US military intervention. Shares of Molex soared, last up 31.6 percent, after Koch Industries agreed to buy the maker of electronic components for US$7.2 billion. In other deals, Ares Management and …

New Zealand stocks rose slightly, as did Australian stocks, where markets were digesting the implications of a clear, but less emphatic than anticipated, win for the Liberal Party-led coalition of the new Prime Minister, Tony Abbott. The NZX 50 Index rose 16.841 points, or 0.366 percent, to 4,614.019. Within the index, 24 stocks rose, 17 fell and nine were unchanged. …

The New Zealand dollar edged lower as weaker-than-anticipated US jobs figures on Friday pared expectations for an aggressive withdrawal of stimulus by the Federal Reserve, and as traders prepare for the local central bank to review rates on Thursday. The kiwi slipped to 79.78 US cents at 5pm in Wellington from 80.09 cents at 8am, and 79.96 cents on Friday …