Markets across the region were further rattled yesterday as the Chinese stockmarket fell to its lowest level in four years.

Ongoing fallout from the US plan to easemoney printing policy and uncertainty in Asian markets are being blamed for a fall on the New Zealand share market.

Mighty River Power shares slumped to a new low of $2.23 this morning as the local stock exchange followed world markets down, reaching its lowest point in a month.

Wall Street has declined after Fed chairman Ben Bernanke said the central bank may begin tapering its US$85 billion-a-month bond-buying program later this year.

Britons should be braced for years of high inflation as the cost of living soars stubbornly ahead of wages, a leading economic forecaster warns.