Dene Mackenzie

The fall in unemployment in March left Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce smiling yesterday, although he did issue a note of caution.

Demand for Mighty River Power shares this afternoon is expected to come from New Zealand institutions that were scaled back in their requests and allocations.

A major barrier has been removed to software-led innovation in New Zealand following a change of heart by Commerce Minister Craig Foss.

Opening a Dunedin office demonstrated the commitment Dimension Data had to its clients and its desire to take a key role in the city's Information and Communications Technology (ICT) community, chief executive Simon Gillespie said yesterday.

The New Zealand dollar, the housing market and high borrowing in the agricultural sector are all providing major concerns for the Reserve Bank.

World sharemarkets continue to rise as investor confidence improves and companies trading globally continue to profit, Craigs Investment Partners broker Chris Timms says.

Forsyth Barr is staying with its buy recommendations for shares in both Contact Energy and TrustPower, despite about $413 million being wiped off the combined value of the two electricity companies.

The Warehouse yesterday sent a signal to the market that it was serious about about its new strategy by implementing a ''career retailer wage'' of between $18.50 and $20 an hour for qualifying staff.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has reduced its official cash rate to 2.75%, a quarter of a percentage point above the New Zealand rate of 2.5%.

Demand is still expected to be keen for Mighty River Power shares but the pricing of the shares today will give the best indication yet of any damage inflicted on the partial float of the company by Labour and the Greens.