If the good news is that the Reserve Bank expects rates to be lower for longer, the bad news is why it thinks that.

Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard isn't expected to start hiking interest rates again until the middle of next year after he held the official cash rate at 3 per cent today.

The Reserve Bank has left the Official Cash Rate on hold at 3 per cent. In his Monetary Policy Statement, Governor Alan Bollard said the pace of economic growth 'appears to have moderated'.

Treasury is sitting on advice to the government about options for selling state assets, and is just waiting to be asked to produce it.

Rio Tinto Group, the world's third-largest mining company, has made a A$3.5 billion ($4.53 billion) takeover proposal for Riversdale Mining, which is developing coal mines in Africa.

The Belgian Finance Minister has hinted that the €750 billion ($1.3 trillion) EU bailout fund could be increased, in a further sign of the confusion and discord over the best way to tackle the Eurozone debt crisis.