Mighty River shares are up nearly 2 per cent this morning after a good profit announcement.

Shares in Mighty River Power traded at $2.18 this morning, their lowest point since listing on May 10.

The Green Party has criticised the $65 million cost of selling shares in Mighty River Power to the public.

Editorial: The Govt has recognised that it needs to make Meridian a much more enticing proposition if it is to attract a far better take-up from mum and dad investors.

Funding generated by the Government's asset sales programme now extends to the $40 million bill for the Mighty River share loyalty bonus scheme.

A weaker New Zealand dollar and signs of life in the US housing market have combined to drive the share price of timber products group Tenon higher.

The New Zealand government posted a smaller operating deficit than forecast in the 11 months ended May 31.

A sell-off by international investors is likely to be behind the weakness in Mighty River Power's share price, say analysts.

I see little point in the Govt selling shares generating dividend yields of 6 to 7 per cent to avoid borrowing to fund its deficits at around 3 to 4 per cent, writes Peter Lyons.

Ebos Group's $1.1 billion acquisition of Australian firm Symbion this week again highlighted an ongoing issue with getting independent research on NZX-listed companies.

The 113,000 so called "mum and dad" investors who bought Mighty River shares included companies, trusts and investment institutions, Treasury has confirmed.

The Green Party says that shares sold in the recent float of Mighty River Power went to only a small group of investors - and claims of widespread 'mum and dad' ownership are false.

Unless National offers a better loyalty scheme there will be little incentive to apply for shares in Meridian and Genesis, writes John Armstrong.

The Government will have to bump up the sweeteners to get enough mum and dad investors to buy into Meridian Energy, an analyst says.

Shares in Mighty River Power ducked below their issue price for the first time since their debut on the NZX today before recovering ground near the close of business.

Up close, after it has travelled more than 300km, the Waikato River is so muddy that you cannot see your feet if you are standing just knee-deep beside its banks.

Local market players were feeling very nervous about Mighty River Power's share price on Tuesday...

Meridian Energy, New Zealand's biggest and most profitable power company, will be partially privatised later this year, Finance Minister Bill English confirmed in yesterday's Budget.

Research firm UBS has placed a "buy" recommendation on Mighty River Power shares and a 12 month target price of $2.82.

John Key and Bill English must sometimes wonder why National lost its nerve during the 2011 election campaign, writes Fran O'Sullivan.