ANZ said it expects dairy prices to continue this year's firming trend at tomorrow's GlobalDairyTrade auction.

Market speculation about Rod Duke boosting his stake in struggling children's clothing chain Pumpkin Patch has so far failed to become a reality, writes Christopher Adams.

Livestock Improvement Corp will set off on a "roadshow" in June to sound out its farmer-shareholders about the possibility of raising capital to drive growth.

Peter Jackson inspires Asian migrants to make movies for release here and overseas, and that could mean more tourists visiting this country, says a professor of diversity.

The New Zealand dollar rose against its Australian counterpart yesterday as retail sales beat expectations.

An industry chief has welcomed the new Matrix house-building factory in Trentham.

Contact Energy could be heading for a showdown with minority shareholders over what to do with a $1 billion pot of cash.

New Zealand shares fell yesterday, led by Contact Energy after it flagged plans to invest offshore. Genesis Energy and Meridian Energy declined as enthusiasm for the sector cooled.

As vital signs go, retail sales data for the last three months of 2014 were pretty healthy, writes Brian Fallow.

The receivers of Belgrave Finance are trying to bankrupt the terminally ill property developer who controlled the company, despite doubts it'll yield money.

Expectations of house price inflation have jumped, especially in Auckland, ASB's quarterly survey of housing market sentiment has found.

Rising New Zealand commercial and house-building could buoy this week's Fletcher Building result as analysts highlighted domestic activity as a big profit driver.

Graeme Hart's former business partner Stephen James says there are several features that helped Hart's Rank Group become so successful.

The boss of a local fund manager has welcomed efforts by the country's financial regulator to crack down on market manipulation.

Douglas Pharmaceuticals, New Zealand's largest developer and manufacturer of generic pharmaceuticals, is targeting annual revenues of $244 million by 2020.

Investors in nine property syndicates that have so far lost $25 million say related-party loans and mismanagement may have contributed to their financial woes.

How actual corporate earnings compare with the elevated heights at which many stocks are now trading will be fascinating to see, writes Liam Dann.

Creditors of women's clothing chain Shanton Fashion are owed almost $7.8 million, while the company has $3.35 million in assets, a wider shortfall than the $693,000 estimate directors gave when the company went into voluntary administration last month.

The CBOE Crude Oil Volatility Index climbed to 63.14 on February 5, the highest level in almost six years.

The global growth scare that's gripped financial markets is looking overblown to some economists.

Local apple production looks set to drop by 6 per cent this year because of a cool start to spring, but a warm summer has improved the crop's quality, says Pipfruit New Zealand.

West Australian mining companies with operations in Africa have had A$3.6 billion ($3.7 billion) wiped from their value in the past year.

New Zealand shares fell yesterday from a record close paced by Meridian Energy, Precinct Properties New Zealand and Spark New Zealand, as the appetite waned.

Herald investigation shows makers of pre-workout supplements are always trying new tricks to beat government bans.

Mark Lister writes: This year has started in an eventful fashion and a number of key developments will set the tone for 2015.

Oil prices have made strong gains for a second day, helped by a surprisingly robust jobs report in the United States, the world's largest crude consumer.

Despite the fast changing market, JB Hi-Fi excels at jumping on the next big thing in technology and getting the march on its competitors, writes Christophwer Niesche.