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Investors flocked to a US auction of US$35 billion in five-year notes as European bond yields sank to record lows amid bets that the European Central Bank will add more stimulus in an effort to prop up the flagging euro-zone economy. “It was a fantastic auction,” Ray Remy, head of fixed income in New York at Daiwa Capital Markets America, …

Fonterra Cooperative Group will offer a premium of at least 20 percent for a one-fifth stake in Beingmate Baby & Child Food as part of a $615 million investment in a partnership to drive baby food sales into China. Fonterra will offer 18 yuan a share for Beingmate stock in a partial tender offer that will be supported by chairman Wang Zhentai, …

New Zealand food prices declined in July, adding weight to speculation that softer inflation will prompt the Reserve Bank to keep the benchmark interest rate on hold until next year. The food price index fell 0.7 percent from June, its first decline in four months, as discounting led to lower prices for beef and processed meat, Statistics New Zealand said. The …

Ridgecrest NZ, a property investor, has won an appeal in the Supreme Court over insurance cover provided by IAG New Zealand for a Christchurch building damaged in four successive earthquakes. The closely held Ridgecrest had originally taken its case to the High Court after a dispute with the local unit of Insurance Australia Group about the nature of its policy. Ridgecrest had …

Ebos Group is unlikely to repeat a trebling of annual profit fuelled by last year acquisition of the Symbion pharmaceutical wholesaler and distributor in Australia, where regulatory changes are putting pressure on the sector. The $1.1 billion cash and scrip Symbion purchase in June 2013 was a game-changer for the Christchurch-based healthcare and animal care manufacturer company, more than tripling annual revenue in a deal that gave Symbion’s …

Air New Zealand shares rose to a two-month high after the government-controlled national carrier boosted annual profit 45 percent on increased passenger numbers and capacity, and said it will double shareholder returns with a special dividend. The shares rose as high as $2.20, and were recently up 1.4 percent at $2.18, having climbed 31 percent this year, outpacing a 6.4 percent gain in the NZX All Index …

Genesis Energy, New Zealand’s largest energy retailer, posted a 53 percent drop in full-year profit, beating its prospectus forecast and affirmed it was on track to meet its targets for 2015 even in the face of heightened retail competition for electricity and gas. Profit was $49.2 million in the 12 months ended June 30, down from $104.5 million a year earlier, the …

Snakk Media, which matches advertisers with mobile users, said first quarter sales rose 67 percent and it continues to pursue an ASX listing. Sales rose to $2 million in the three months ended June 30, from $1.2 million in the same period a year earlier, the Auckland-based company said in a statement. The company generates more than 85 percent of its sales from …

Air New Zealand, the government-controlled national carrier, boosted annual profit 45 percent as increased passenger numbers and capacity lifted earnings, and will pay a special dividend after reviewing its capital structure. Net profit rose to $262 million, or 23.6 cents per share, in the 12 months ended June 30, from $181 million, or 16.4 cents, a year earlier, the Auckland-based company …