Investors found some value among beaten-down stocks on Wall St overnight as they picked up shares of Apple and IBM amid hope the Fed will announce new measures to shore up the US economy.

Wet weather, intense retail competition and the late commissioning of new peaking plant....

Fletcher Building posted a 19 per cent gain in full-year profit, before one-time items, as the contribution from newly acquired Crane Group more than made up for a drop in sales of building products.

SkyCity, the country's biggest casino operator, boosted annual profit 21 per cent as its sales beat brokers' targets with Auckland gaming revenues reporting strong growth.

Disappointment about the outcome of a meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy ruled investor sentiment on both sides of the Atlantic overnight.