Dene Mackenzie

The Government's hope for a premium listing price for the last of the state-owned energy companies took a hit yesterday when Genesis Energy reported much lower revenue and profits.

Foodstuffs would continue to support and promote local suppliers to its network of supermarkets but without banning foreign products, Foodstuffs New Zealand managing director Steve Anderson said yesterday.

The disparity between the average salaries in Taranaki and Otago makes it imperative Dunedin does everything possible to welcome Anadarko and Shell when they arrive to drill off the coast of Otago, business leaders say.

Late last year, China overtook Australia as New Zealand's top individual trade partner. Business editor Dene Mackenzie investigates the implications of the growing ties to China and the relationship between New Zealand, Australia and China.

Otago has one of the country's lowest unemployment rates with the South Island well ahead of the north when it comes to lowering the number of people unemployed.

Reactions were wide and varied to the latest labour and wages data released yesterday, showing New Zealand showed strong employment growth in December, along with subdued wage growth.

LAbour Party revenue spokesman David Clark is calling on the Government to investigate tax options for multinational technology companies operating in New Zealand after Apple released its New Zealand profit figures yesterday.

The Inland Revenue Department is becoming more active in monitoring when people leave New Zealand but maintain ties with this country, Deloitte Dunedin associate tax director Phil Stevenson says.

Robust demand for New Zealand's key commodity exports and tight supplies in some sectors have supported prices at high levels, the ANZ commodity price index shows.

The first BNZ confidence survey of the year has found the same ''very high level'' of confidence about the economy as did the last survey of 2013, BNZ chief economist Tony Alexander says.

ASB Bank is the latest to provide a glowing set of forecasts for the domestic economy in its Quarterly Economic Forecasts, released this morning.

Emerging markets have hit the headlines lately as one of the main causes of recent turbulence. Business editor Dene Mackenzie finds out why and discovers an alternative investment option - frontier markets.

Political risk remained a key concern for investors in Mighty River Power, Wanaka-based Logic Fund Management financial adviser Paul Gardner said yesterday.

This new Jack Ryan thriller is a beaut.