Topics

US employment data and a meeting of policymakers at the European Central Bank will renew the focus on when interest rates will begin to rise in the US, and the degree and timing of additional stimulus in the euro zone. The state of the labour market in the US will be revealed in the ADP employment report, due Wednesday, weekly jobless …

Prime Minister John Key has been handed a cast-iron excuse to rid his government of its troublesome Justice Minister, Judith Collins, using an email supplied anonymously to his office yesterday which appears to show Collins conspiring with the Whaleoil blog run by National Party activist Cameron Slater to unseat the then head of the Serious Fraud Office, Adam Feeley, in 2011. Collins was …

Pumpkin Patch, which slashed its earnings forecast earlier this year, will take a $12 million charge to write down the value of stores and IT software, while posting underlying profit in line with guidance. The children’s clothing chain said a provision for the write down of IT software and store assets will be reflected in its 2014 results, taking total reorganisation costs …

The New Zealand dollar slipped as the US dollar edged up following better-than-expected US economic data which lifted optimism about a recovery in the world’s largest economy. The kiwi weakened to 83.82 US cents at 8am in Wellington, from 83.91 cents at 5pm yesterday. The trade-weighted index was at 79.01 from 79.06 yesterday. The US dollar index, which measures the greenback against …

Stocks fell, while US Treasuries rose, as concern about intensifying tension in Ukraine outweighed further evidence that the American economy is gathering strength. In late afternoon trading in New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.21 percent, the Standard & Poor’s 500 index slipped 0.11 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index gave up 0.18 percent. Declines in shares of …

A2 Milk Co, which markets milk with a protein variant said to have health benefits, will ramp up its expansion in the US, the UK and Asia using cash generated in its biggest market of Australia after a year in which a strong kiwi slashed the value of sales and earnings. Profit tumbled to $10,000 in the 12 months ended June …

Airwork Holdings, the aviation services firm which listed last December, boosted annual profit 52 percent on the strength of its helicopter engineering unit, beating guidance. The shares gained. Net profit rose to $9.83 million, or 20.8 cents per share, in the 12 months ended June 30, from $6.47 million, or 15.2 cents, a year earlier, the Auckland-based company said in a …

Westland Milk Products, the Hokitika-based dairy cooperative, has overtaken rival Fonterra Cooperative Group in cutting its forecast payout to farmers, citing falling global dairy prices and the persistent strength in the kiwi dollar. The cooperative revised its payout forecast to between $5.40 and $5.80 per kilogram of milk solids before retentions in the 2014/15 season, down from between the $6 and …

The New Zealand dollar rose after Fonterra Cooperative Group yesterday said it would maintain its milk price forecast, expand its local processing capacity and form a partnership to help sell its products in China, New Zealand’s largest trading partner. The kiwi gained to 83.75 US cents at 8am in Wellington, from 83.67 cents at 5pm yesterday. The trade-weighted index was at 78.98 from 79 …