The New Zealand dollar fell to a 12-month low as the Federal Reserve’s signal of an end to quantitative easing, weak Chinese manufacturing and tighter credit sapped risk appetite and sent investors rushing to the greenback. The kiwi fell to 77.48 US cents, and earlier dropped to a 12-month low of 77.10 cents, from 78.54 cents yesterday. The trade-weighted index …

Stocks on both sides of the Atlantic sank after a report showing China’s manufacturing decreased at a faster rate in May and as investors digested Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s comments that the bank may soon begin paring its stimulus. Yesterday Bernanke said the Fed may downsize its US$85 billion-a-month bond-buying program later this year if the economy strengthens in …

New Zealand regulators will this month start monitoring financial institutions to stamp out money laundering that could be worth up to $1.5 billion. As part of a new anti-money laundering regulatory regime starting June 30, the Reserve Bank, the Department of Internal Affairs and the Financial Markets Authority will start monitoring financial institutions in an attempt to prevent criminals from …