BUSINESS

The major banks are likely to keep lifting interest rates for small and mid-sized business clients in a bid to recover funding costs. The hikes will be another hurdle for the sector, which continues to be weak.

Auckland International Airport Ltd. will invest NZ$27.7 million ($19 million) buying a 25 percent stake in Queenstown Airport, which has the nation's fourth-largest number of international visitors.

A renewed optimism from U.S.-based consumers provided a boost to the trading of Australian and New Zealand dollars in New York at the day's closing.

The Gillard government's decision to pacify mining companies by revamping the resource tax could cost the budget $35 billion in revenue this decade, a report says.

Australia's market for sauces, dressings and condiments is growing, with 2008 sales clocking $1.8 billion, say market research group Datamonitor, with growing health concerns, including childhood obesity, plus an increase in at-home consumption, boosting the trend.The report, Sauces, Dressings and C...

FSANZ has called for public comment on a submission by Bayer CropScience to approve foods derived from genetically modified cotton, mostly in the form of oil and linters.The cotton line, GHB119, is protected against feeding damage by caterpillars by a modified gene from Bacillus thuringiensis, a soi...

Online retail giant Amazon has started selling grocery products in the UK, after its announcement earlier this week of a similar service in Germany.The online store will offer ambient and household products from brands like Kraft, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Proctor & Gamble and international brand suppli...

New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra has reported a fall in milk-powder prices in its latest internet auction as concerns over supplies started to ease.The price of skim milk powder fell 11.8%, while the price of whole milk powder dropped 14.8% in the latest globalDairyTrade auction. The price of anhydr...

A snapshot of economist responses to today's stronger than expected Australian labour market data for June.

Jeremy Cooper, the former deputy chairman of the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) and author of the controversial government review of the Australian superannuation system, has defended his plan for low cost MySuper accounts.The accounts are intended as a default for people who...

The saga that has gripped the Australian wealth management industry involving the bitter take -over battle for AXA Asia Pacific Holdings between two bidders NAB and AMP, is unlikely to be resolved before September when the competition regulator consults the market regarding NAB’s proposed $14 bill...

National Australia Bank is all set to put forward a revised offer for its takeover worth $13.3 billion of assets manager AXA Asia Pacific, according to a Reuters report, citing three sources who are privy to the deal.

The Australia 200 CFD Index closed 0.5% lower at 4254.6, with consumer discretionary, financial and energy names detracting most of the points.

BlueScope Steel Ltd said today that it is amenable to a Federal Court decision to hear its abuse of process claims against Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings (CKI), where the steel maker is accused of misleading CKI when it sought to acquire an iron sands mine subsidiary of the company in 2008 worth $190 million.

In accordance with its expansion plans in the region, Volkswagen said on Tuesday that it is looking to establish a new motor plant in North America where the company plans to invest up to $US1 billion which should commence by 2013.

Analysts compare the impact of the new MRRT and PRRT tax proposals to the previous RSPT proposal.

The decline in construction demand could be a reflection of the delayed impact of the withdrawal of the extra first home owners grant and the cumulative impact of the run of interest rate increases from last October, according to AI Group director public policy Peter Burn.

It has become fashionable to question the integrity of China's economic data, but what about data in the US?

A Toyota Motor Corp official admitted on Tuesday that the car company was well aware of the Lexus’ engine problem some two years earlier but instead of issuing a recall, it merely ordered the replacement of the spring part to correct what the company assumed then as an isolated manufacturing issue.

Aurora Funds Ltd is set to debut on the local bourse on Tuesday, next week, after acquiring three more asset managers and putting together $2 million.

The Australian share market started the day off in promising fashion after gains from both US and European shares overnight.

The Sydney office leasing market is showing signs of recovery as white-collar employment strengthens and new construction continues to shrink.

Australia’s largest grain growing corporation, AACL, has struck a pre-purchase deal with dealer Glencore for the upcoming harvest.

Chevron Asia Pacific Exploration and Production Co said it had found deepwater natural gas deposits off the coast of Western Australia, putting in a new potential to the company’s Clio development.

Sigma Pharmaceuticals Ltd is considering an updated acquisition offer of 55 cents cash per share, from South African bidder Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd.

A widely monitored construction activity private index takes a turn for the worse this June, ending three straight months of progress.

AgBank, the last of China's big four state-owned banks to go public, is selling 25.41 billion shares in Hong Kong and 22.24 billion shares in Shanghai.

After a year of NBN talks with the Government, Telstra chief executive David Thodey says he now has its sights set on diversifying the business and satisfying unhappy customers.

Xstrata Coal's $186 million of investment in early works and exploration in Queensland, including the $6 billion Wandoan coal project, has resumed after the announcement of a revised resource rent tax, according to the company.