Wall Street was mixed as better-than-anticipated US jobs data offset concern about political unrest in Egypt and ministerial resignations in Portugal. In the US, private payrolls rose 188,000 in June, according to the ADP National Employment Report. That exceeded expectations for a gain of 160,000 jobs. Separately, Jobless claims fell by 5,000 to 343,000 in the week ended June 29 …

Cottonsoft, the toilet tissue maker working to repair its reputation after criticism of parent Asia Pulp & Paper’s tropical rainforest logging, narrowed its loss in 2012 and took a smaller shareholder advance, its accounts show. The net loss was $1 million last year, from a loss of about $2.4 million a year earlier, according to financial statements lodged with the …

Auckland house prices edged up for a second month in June in the face of fewer listings and intense demand among property buyers, according to Barfoot & Thompson, the city’s biggest realtor. The average sale price rose 0.8 percent to $649,945 last month, adding to a 0.3 percent gain in May, the firm said. The median price rose 3.5 percent …