Today's Independent Financial Review - 17/10/07

GRID CHARGES THREATEN ENERGY PLAN - The government's renewables-led energy strategy, announced last week, will fail if South Island generators are forced to wear the $1 billion cost of upgrading the Cook Strait cable. Nick Smith reports.

NZOG ON A HUNT FOR FUNDS AND FIELDS - New Zealand Oil & Gas will shortly start pumping $120 million worth of oil a year and is looking for fresh fields, writes Nick Smith.

ASIAN STATIONERY FIRMS COP DUMPING DUTIES - The Ministry of Economic Development will impose hefty anti-dumping duties on imports of stationery products from five Asian countries after a complaint from papermaker Croxley. Denise McNabb reports.

NZRU TAKES A CURRENCY PUNT - There's one bit of good news for the New Zealand Rugby Union - thanks to a bit of judicious currency hedging, its losses this year are now expected to be only about $5 million.

CHALKIE notes there won't be enough Opus International shares to go around, and isn't surprised; the world's HEDGE FUNDS are a time bomb waiting to go off, according to two financial economists; AIRLINES are abandoning their nuts'n'cola strategies and bombarding domestic travellers with extras.

Nick Stride
Editor
The Independent Financial Review