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Fonterra Fund slides 3.7 percent as dairy exporter’s 2013 earnings lag forecasts

Fonterra Cooperative Group, the world’s largest exporter of dairy products, said this year’s earnings will miss forecast by about 7.3 percent, spurring a sell-off in the company’s listed fund. Units in the Fonterra Shareholders’ Fund are the second-worst performer on New Zealand’s benchmark index today, dropping 3.7 percent to $7.20, crimping their gain so far this year to 6.3 percent. …

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RBNZ zeroes in on threat of housing, construction fuelling inflation

Reserve Bank governor Graeme Wheeler is sharpening his focus on New Zealand’s bubbling housing and construction sectors and the threat they pose to inflation. The central bank kept the official cash rate on hold at 2.5 percent today, while saying the “removal of monetary stimulus will likely be needed in the future and linking any hike to how much “the …

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NZ dollar gains as Wheeler signals end to stimulus as housing heat spreads

The New Zealand dollar gained after the Reserve Bank said it will need to remove monetary stimulus as heat in the housing and construction sector spills over into the broader economy and stokes inflation. The kiwi dollar climbed to 79.75 US cents after governor Graeme Wheeler’s statement, from 79.30 cents immediately before. The trade-weighted index rose to 75.51 from 75.17 …

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Wellington 6.5 magnitude quake sends capital into slow motion

A 6.5 magnitude earthquake in New Zealand’s Cook Strait has closed Wellington financial trading rooms and shut down portions in the capital city as local authorities assess the damage. Wellington trading desks at Bank of New Zealand and ANZ Bank New Zealand are closed as corporates in the capital join the rest of the city in checking buildings following a …

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NZ dollar slips as markets await Bernanke testimony

The New Zealand dollar slipped in local trading as investors await US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke’s Congressional testimony, where they’ll look for any hints on the central bank unwinding its asset purchase programme. The kiwi traded at 78.70 US cents at 5pm in Wellington from 78.97 cents at 8am and 78.28 cents yesterday. The trade-weighted index edged up to …

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Weaker kiwi probably not a game changer for RBNZ yet

The kiwi dollar is holding below levels the Reserve Bank is forecasting for the third quarter though that’s unlikely to be enough to change its view of the interest rate outlook this week. The central bank will keep the official cash rate at 2.5 percent on Thursday, according to a Reuters survey of 16 economists. The bank will hike the …

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Government roped in FMA chair Simon Allen to help close SkyCity deal, papers show

The government employed Financial Markets Authority chairman Simon Allen to help negotiate its $402 million convention centre-for-gaming concessions deal with SkyCity Entertainment Group. Allen, a former investment banker who has chaired the market watchdog since May 2011, took a key role in talks with the casino and hotel group, according to papers released by Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment …

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