5:24PM COMPETITION among home lenders is expected to remain fierce despite signs the Reserve Bank of Australia has ended its rate cut cycle.
5:05PM THE central bank has kept the cash rate unchanged at 2.5 per cent and indicated there won't be any more rate cuts in the forseeable future.
4:38PM THE NZX 50 Index has lost about one per cent but Mark Lister of Craigs Investment Partners says the market held up better than others.
4:22PM STOCKS of interest on the Australian Securities Exchange at the close on Tuesday
4:17PM THE Reserve Bank of Australia's change in stance on interest rates has led to the kiwi dollar dropping against the Aussie.
4:05PM REAL estate advertiser REA Group is sticking with its global expansion plans after strong growth in Australia drove a 37 per cent profit rise.
3:16PM THE RBA has signalled no more rates cuts for the time being as it waits for unemployment to rise further before topping out.
12:55PM ENGINEERING group Downer EDI says it is on track to meet its guidance for the full financial year as it cuts costs to offset a slide in earnings.
12:09PM REFINANCING costs has pulled down Pizza Hut and Taco Bell owner Yum Brand's profit by five per cent, but its KFC adusted results have beaten expectations.
11:53AM NEW Zealand commodity prices have risen 23 per cent over the past year, according to the ANZ Commodity Price Index.
11:15AM A TRIAL for a new breast cancer drug being conducted by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is offering good results.
10:55AM THE NZX Index has shed 1.2 per cent in morning trading, following sharp falls on Wall Street in reaction to US manufacturing data.
7:51AM GOLD has risen 1.6 per cent after a US manufacturing report showed the sector had barely expanded.
7:43AM COPPER falls 0.4 per cent on supply concerns after data shows China's PMIs have fallen, while aluminium has dropped 1.7 per cent.
7:09AM FORE Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke is joining Washington think tank the Brookings Institute.
NESTLE is selling its active nutrition brands PowerBar and Musashi to US company Port Holdings.
3:58PM STRONGER sales and growth in store numbers have helped fashion retailer Country Road make its strongest half year profit on record.
3:54PM A REVIEW of SEEK's job advertisements in 2013 has found the average wage has dropped.
3:38PM RETAILER JB Hi-Fi lifted its first half profit 10 per cent and expects its entry into the home appliances market to help drive growth in the future.
3:07PM APPROVALS for the construction of new homes fell 2.9 per cent in December, but over the year they were up 21.8 per cent, official figures show.
2:44PM PRICE pressures eased in January after surprisingly high inflation in December.
1:58PM THE ANZ's job ads series fell in January, but the pace of decline is slowing and the jobs market is stabilising, ANZ's chief economist Ivan Colhoun says.
12:30PM AUSTRALIAN manufacturing activity has contracted for the third straight month.
12:21PM STOCKS of interest on the Australian Securities Exchange at noon on Monday
11:42AM CAPITAL city home values rose 1.2 per cent last month and almost 10 per cent in the past 12 months.
11:25AM JUST over 50 per cent of households are struggling to save money and many have less than $5000 to fall back on in an emergency.
7:51AM GOLD futures fall 0.2 per cent as investors digest the Federal Reserve's decision to further cut its stimulus measures by another $US10 billion a month.
7:43AM COPPER is down 0.4 per cent, and aluminium drops 1.3 per cent, extending a 4.5-year low, but nickel gains 1.2 per cent.
7:29AM A SELL-OFF of riskier assets hits the NZ dollar as it falls to its lowest point against the greenback since September.
9:15AM GM says three German plants that will be making a new Opel car have a guarantee of no layoffs until the end of 2018.
4:39PM A TOP Democratic senator opposes laws that are key for a trans-Pacific trade pact that are part of Barack Obama's effort to step up US engagement in Asia.
3:29PM LONG-TERM joblessness remains a major problem in the US, and the White House is asking corporations to change their hiring practices.
5:15AM YOUTH unemployment has dipped in the Eurozone for the first time since May, but overall unemployment is stuck on 12 per cent and inflation is slowing.
12:03AM MATTEL says sales of brands including Barbie and Fisher-Price dropped during the key selling period of Christmas.
7:34PM ECONOMISTS expect the RBA will leave the cash rate on hold at 2.5 per cent when it holds its first meeting for 2014.
4:55PM NORTHERN Territory rare earths miner Arafura has cancelled plans for a new plant, saving more than $400 million.
4:42PM STOCKS of interest on the Australian Securities Exchange at close on Friday
4:21PM THE energy regulator says Victorians will pay lower transmission costs leading to slightly lower electricity bills.
4:18PM DAVID Jones rebuffed a secret $3 billion merger proposal from Myer in 2013, but the department store remains a possible takeover target.
4:16PM NEW Zealand tech stocks Diligent and Xero have gained after a Facebook announcement underpinned a rally on Wall Strret.
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