Dene Mackenzie

A bill bringing credit unions into alignment with other financial service providers has been read for the first time in Parliament and  welcomed by Co-op Money NZ members.

Mercury has upgraded its operating profit guidance to $520million from $510million, in line with forecasts, Forsyth Barr broker Damian Foster said yesterday.

Otago job advertisements continue to grow at a steady pace, increasing by nearly 25% in May, according to the ANZ Job Ads series.

Sky Network Television should hope for the best but plan for the worst, Morningstar analyst Brian Han says.

Reserve Bank policy targets remain unchanged after an agreement was signed yesterday by Finance Minister Steven Joyce and deputy Reserve Bank governor Grant Spencer.

Finance Minister Steven Joyce is down-playing the latest Crown financial surplus, saying an extra $1billion of the $2.5billion surplus is due to timing differences.

Three global events this week have the potential to influence markets around the world, including New Zealand to a lesser extent.

After months of a puzzlingly weak New Zealand dollar, there was finally a ``decent recovery'' during May, BNZ senior currency strategist Jason Wong says.

Federated Farmers president William Rolleston is calling for better recognition of the efforts farmers are making in ensuring the improvement in water quality.

CBL Corporation is likely to receive automatic inclusion into the benchmark NZX50 next week when the June review is carried out, Forsyth Barr broker Damian Foster says.

Businesses do not have the luxury to ignore climate change, BusinessNZ head of climate change policy John Carnegie says.

Chorus is welcoming the Government’s final telecommunications reform package but InternetNZ says it provides a mixed bag for consumers.

Finance Minister Steven Joyce is considering options for cash-strapped local councils wanting to invest in infrastructure in their regions.

The Reserve Bank remains worried about how much debt people took on when they bought their houses, saying borrowers at high debt levels were vulnerable to interest rate rises.

The economy's ''good times'' are continuing. Firms are upbeat and prepared to hire and invest, ANZ chief economist Cameron Bagrie says.

Orion Health has admitted a challenging 2017 financial year but the company managed to narrow its loss significantly, although still reporting a $33million loss for the year ended March.

Green supporters in the south of the South Island will need to be very committed to cast their vote for the party in the September 23 election.

The Reserve Bank is not expected to bring the fireworks to its Financial Stability Review tomorrow, although the report will be examined more closely than usual.

Integrated automotive financial services Turners Automotive expects growth to continue in the current financial year after reporting increased profits and dividend payout for the year ended March.