Rakon, which makes crystal oscillators used in smart phones and navigation systems, expects a net loss of $54 million in 2014 after taking a $37 million one-time charge to write down the value of its Chinese investment and other assets and posting a trading loss of $17 million. Shares in Rakon slumped 8.7 percent to 21 cents. The Auckland-based company …

The Reserve Bank’s looming restrictions on low-equity home lending will give governor Graeme Wheeler time to pause and reflect at next week’s monetary policy review. Wheeler will keep the official cash rate at 2.5 percent when he releases the monetary policy statement on Sept. 12, according to a Reuters poll of 15 economists. The key rate hasn’t budged since March …

Falling demand for electricity will push up power prices as the monopoly national grid owner, Transpower, spreads its regulated charges over smaller total consumption, warns the Major Electricity Users Group. MEUG formally raised the issue with senior government ministers, including Prime Minister John Key, in a June 17 letter, saying “the greatest risk to near term power prices is increasing …