Dene Mackenzie

Retail investors have the chance to own a piece of a school, prison or hospital through a $125 million fund launched by Craigs Investment Partners.

Oil prices touched $US83 ($NZ117) yesterday, coming within $US2 of this year's high on a recovery in demand in the United States and Opec's decision to leave output targets unchanged.

Shares of clothing retailer Kathmandu improved 8% in price yesterday as investors reacted positively to the nearly 50% rise in operating profit.

New Zealand motorists should receive some protection from sharp rises in the price of petrol at the pump as a sluggish United States economy and a continuing low dollar keep interest rates stable in the US.

Rising interest rates and petrol prices, along with worsening unemployment combined to knock the confidence of consumers in the March quarter.

It will come as no surprise to readers that sex sells on the internet.

It will come as no surprise to readers that sex sells on the internet.

Flat retail sales in January have left some analysts wondering why New Zealanders are not spending more as economic indicators improve.

Andrew Keech did not fancy staying on the family farm in Taranaki to milk cows. Instead, he established a multimillion-dollar business in the United States, using bovine colostrum. He spoke to business editor Dene Mackenzie during a whistle-stop visit to Dunedin this week.

The Dunedin City Council-owned electricity companies again provided some spark to the financial statements for the six months ended December 31.