Stocks and bonds rose after US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said highly accommodative policy would be needed for some time yet, reassuring investors that the central bank is not about to begin reducing its bond-buying program. “Highly accommodative monetary policy is what is needed in the US economy,” Bernanke said after the close of Wall Street yesterday, following a …

New Zealand shares edged up, paced by Ebos Group, while Ryman Healthcare closed at a new record and Telecom fell. Trading was relatively light as investors look ahead to earnings season. The NZX 50 Index rose 3.287 points, or 0.1 percent, to 4560.054. Within the index, 27 stocks rose, 16 fell and seven were unchanged. Turnover was $120 million. Ebos, …

New Zealand needs to consider how it is going to fund rising healthcare and pension costs in the future while avoiding a blowout in government debt, the Treasury says in its latest statement on the nation’s long-term fiscal position. On the nation’s current track, revenue will fail to meet expenses by the mid-2020s, the Treasury says in its third such …