Fran O'Sullivan asks: "Will all the chess pieces be in place within the next week in time for China to announce full convertibility of the NZ dollar into the renminbi during the PM's visit?"

NZIER's shadow board is emphatically in favour of an increase in the official cash rate tomorrow.

About 70 per cent of businesses surveyed by ASB Bank expect the New Zealand dollar to reach parity with the Aussie dollar over the coming year.

A rise in the official cash rate from 2.5 to 2.75 per cent on Thursday is seen as a virtual certainty, so the focus will be on the Reserve Bank's economic forecasts.

Kiwibank has given an assurance it won't discriminate against customers who take part in a class-action lawsuit over allegedly "unfair" penalty fees.

The New Zealand dollar advanced as investors gained confidence that tensions in Ukraine were easing, stoking demand for risk-sensitive assets.

Savers should expect to feel some relief from next week with economists predicting short-term deposit rates to head up in line with a predicted increase in the official cash rate.

Reserve Bank restrictions on home lending have "changed the game" for New Zealand's banks and created unintended consequences, says a new report.

New Zealand's five major banks continued to show strong earnings growth in the second half of their financial years, says international consultancy PwC.

The New Zealand Institute of Economic Research expects the economy to grow 3 per cent this year.

How easy it is to access KiwiSaver funds on financial hardship grounds?