Sitting on the desks of central bank governors and regulators across the world is a scholarly report that gently hints at horrors in store.

The NZ dollar extended its gains overnight after the Reserve Bank's better-than-expected outlook for the local economy.

If banks wanted to adopt a theme song for KiwiSaver it would have to be the song from Bonanza.

Retailers are continuing to benefit from the boost to consumers' discretionary incomes from the fall in oil prices over the past year.

New Zealanders increased spending on debit and credit cards in February, led by gains in hospitality and apparel as low inflation

Competition is continuing to heat up in the mortgage market, with a new rate dipping below 5 per cent.

The US economy continues to surge back to life, moving into territory which some economists describe as "full employment". However, Americans who are still without a job may disagree.

Construction activity in Australia continued to fall in February as an interest rate cut failed to encourage new orders.

The January OCR review saw a shift in the bank's stance from a tightening bias to neutral.

The All Blacks have a brand new sponsor to support them in Rugby World Cup year, through the sevens at the 2016 Rio Olympics and all of 2017.

Bitcoin, the poster child for digital currencies, is proving something of a headache for central banks.

NZ shares rose to a fresh record yesterday, paced by Mighty River Power, Meridian Energy and Genesis Energy as investors mulled possible lower interest rates across the Tasman.

Growing global market opportunities and the need to strengthen supply chains are creating a thirst for capital among agricultural co-operatives around the world, rural lending specialist Rabobank said.

Investors in property syndicates formerly run by SPI have been told to close ranks to the media.

The New Zealand Superannuation Fund's litigation against the Portuguese central bank could end up before the European Court of Justice.

It has been a big week for the sharemarket as the reporting season continues and stocks make big price moves.