The New Zealand sharemarket rose yesterday when many other markets were weak and a large volume was traded in the shares of New Zealand Oil & Gas, the 29 per cent shareholder of Pike River Coal Ltd.

Trading in Pike River Coal shares was suspended and trading in the shares of its biggest shareholder New Zealand Oil & Gas (NZOG) was halted yesterday as the investment community extended their sympathies and also waited for news.

Plans to build New Zealand's biggest geothermal power station are a step closer to reality, with Contact winning draft approval for its 250 megawatt Tauhara station.

The Singapore stock exchange takeover of its Australian counterpart is "good for Australia, bad for us," says an adviser to John Key.