Video | Agriculture | Confidence | Economy | Energy | Employment | Finance | Media | Property | RBNZ | Science | SOEs | Tax | Technology | Telecoms | Tourism | Transport | Search

 


NZ dollar sinks to three-week low as equities fall

NZ dollar sinks to three-week low as equities fall, fiscal talks in focus

Dec. 24 (BusinessDesk) – The New Zealand dollar fell to a three-week low against the greenback after equities weakened and doubts grew on the ability of US Republicans and Democrats to reach agreement on averting the fiscal cliff.

The kiwi dollar slipped to 82.32 US cents from 82.37 cents in New York on Friday and from 83.02 cents in Wellington at 5pm on Friday. The trade-weighted index was at 73.69.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index both fell about 0.9 percent on Friday and traders were driven to the US dollar and the yen following Republican House Speaker John Boehner’s failure to win support from his party for a compromise deal. Senator Joe Lieberman told CNN Boehner’s stumble was “the first time I feel it's more likely that we'll go over the cliff than not.”

The fiscal cliff talks “seem to be lurching along to a poor ending,” said Tim Kelleher, head of institutional FX sales at ASB Institutional.

The decline in the Australian and New Zealand dollars was exacerbated by the biggest speculative long positions since 2003 in the currencies, making them more vulnerable when equities sold off on the back of the fiscal talks, he said. The kiwi dollar may trade in a range of 82 US cents to 82.75 cents today.

Failure to avert the fiscal cliff would mean some US$600 billion of tax increases and spending cuts kick in on Jan. 1, which risks sending the world’s biggest economy into recession in 2013.

The New Zealand dollar traded at 69.42 yen from 69.36 yen on Friday in New York, near a two-week low. The local dollar traded at 62.45 euro cents from 62.49 cents and slipped to 50.89 British pence from 50.96 pence. The kiwi traded at 79.15 Australian cents from 79.12 cents.

(BusinessDesk)

© Scoop Media

 
 
 
 
 
Business Headlines | Sci-Tech Headlines

 

Sky Loses To Coliseum Bid: TVNZ Scores Free TV Rights For English Premier League

TVNZ has confirmed it is partnering with Coliseum Sports Media to bring TV coverage of football’s Barclays Premier League to Kiwi sports fans. TV ONE will present a match of the week game every Sunday from the start of the season. The channel will also broadcast an hour long highlights show on Monday nights. More>>

ALSO:

Company Fails To Provide Records: Initial Action Over $4-An-Hour Wage Claims

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has filed action with the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) in Auckland against an Auckland restaurant chain following complaints that workers are being paid less than $4-an-hour. More>>

Greens: Fonterra To Avoid Drilling-Waste Farms

Fonterra has released information to Radio New Zealand detailing costs of $80,000 a year to test milk from a few farms which have been used as sites for drilling waste from the oil and gas industry and it announced a policy not to collect milk from any new land farms. More>>

ALSO:

Earlier:

Beer: Tuatara Set To Grow With New Investor

In a sale sealed over ale, Tuatara Brewing Company has announced it has sold a 35 percent stake in the business to a Wellington-based investment company. Rangatira Limited paid an undisclosed sum for its share which will see Tuatara are look to increase exports to the United States and boost production volume. More>>

ALSO:

Stat! New Statistics NZ Chief Executive Appointed

State Services Commissioner, Iain Rennie, today announced the appointment of Liz MacPherson to the position of Chief Executive of Statistics New Zealand and Government Statistician. Ms MacPherson is currently Deputy Chief Executive, Strategy and Governance at the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE). More>>

PC Magazines Gone. Mad? Fairfax Magazines Resign Technology Title Licences

Fairfax Magazines will resign the licences, owned by IDG, to publish technology titles Computerworld, Reseller News and PC World early next month. More>>

ALSO:

Scoop Business: Mediaworks Receivership - New Ownership Planned

MediaWorks NZ, the broadcaster whose stable includes TV3 and Four, and radio stations including Radio Live, the Rock and MoreFM, is “well advanced” with plans for new ownership after being placed in receivership this morning. More>>

ALSO:

Get More From Scoop

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Business
Search Scoop  
 
 
Powered by Vodafone
NZ independent news