Cracker January for accommodation sector
Hotels and holiday parks enjoyed a bumper January with the overall accommodation sector handling a record 4.4 million guest nights in the month, with a strong rebound in foreign tourist numbers.

The Warehouse delivers 17pc profit rise
The Warehouse has reported a half-year net profit of $57.4 million, an increase of 17 per cent year on year.

Retail sales recover in January
Following a disappointing Christmas for retailers, the month of January showed a national pickup with the total retail sales trend continuing to rise.

Fonterra to close cheese plant
Fonterra's Longburn plant in Palmerston North will stop making cheese next month, and 35 jobs will go.

Joyce hails 'exciting' cable plan
The Government has welcomed an ambitious proposal by three of the country's highest-profile businessmen to build a $900 million submarine communications cable linking New Zealand, Australia and the United States.

Huljich fund gives clients exit offer
The directors of embattled Huljich Wealth Management have asked the Securities Commission to vet a letter they propose sending to the fund's investors, explaining why former chief executive Peter Huljich was forced to quit and offering them an exit route, without penalty, to other KiwiSaver funds.

Interest rates to rise 3pc by 2012 says economist
House buyers on floating mortgage rates should plan for interest rates to rise about 3 per cent to about 8.6 per cent or higher by early 2012 according to a leading economist.

Banks accused of profit gouging
The Reserve Bank of Australia has indirectly accused Australia's major banks of profiteering on interest rates, saying the recent series of ''super-sized'' rate rises had outpaced increases in the banks' funding costs.

Warehouse leads NZX higher
Shares in The Warehouse were up 2 percent when the market opened today after the retailer announced a 17 percent rise in half year net profit to $57.4 million, although the company described the recovery in overall retail spending as ``patchy''.

Buffett's Berkshire package up 6pc
Warren Buffett was awarded total compensation of about $519,490 in 2009 to run Berkshire Hathaway Inc, a 6 percent increase mainly reflecting the higher cost of keeping the world's third-richest person safe.

Australian shares follow Wall St higher
The Australian share market has risen in opening trade, after Wall Street staged a late rally to finish higher overnight.

Lehman 'insolvent for weeks' before bankruptcy
Lehman Brothers Holdings used accounting gimmicks and had been insolvent for weeks before it filed for bankruptcy in September 2008, a court-appointed examiner said, but he did not find extensive wrongdoing.

Can cloud computing put NZ on world stage?
Want to go offshore and reach a large online market in a hurry but don’t have capital to buy the necessary IT hardware? The cloud is your answer.

Mexican now world's richest man
Mexico's Carlos Slim, named the world's richest man, first showed a talent for business as a 10-year-old kid when he filled his pockets with pesos selling drinks and snacks to his family.

House prices inch higher
House prices nudged up slightly in February, rising by 0.4 per cent according to the Real Estate Institute's house price index.

Networkers are made, not born
A few introductory emails, some lobby loitering and a punchy five-minute presentation landed a small Palmerston North company a deal with one of the world’s biggest computing forces.

Little change in Aussie dollar
The Australian dollar opened little changed on Friday after worrying Chinese inflation data locked the resource sensitive currency into a tight trading range overnight.

Stocks to watch: March 12
The following stocks may be active on the New Zealand exchange after developments since the close of trading yesterday. All prices are in New Zealand dollars unless specified.

Lehman examiner to make report public
The court-appointed examiner who investigated the collapse of US investment bank Lehman Brothers Holding Co is set to make his report publicly available, after a judge ruled he could do so on Thursday.

US trade deficit shrinks
The US trade deficit unexpectedly shrank in January, reflecting a big drop in imports of oil and foreign cars. American exports also fell, a potential blow to hopes that the economic recovery will be aided this year by US sales abroad.