News
What happened Monday
6+ hour, 25+ min ago (953+ words) Here are the key things you need to know before you leave work today (or if you work from home, before you shutdown your laptop). MORTGAGE RATE CHANGES TSB raised most fixed rates today. All current mortgage rates are here....
A very chilly winter appears to be ahead for the housing market
10+ hour, 17+ min ago (399+ words) The housing market is heading into winter with a huge overhang of unsold properties, even though the number of properties being withdrawn from sale is also rising. Interest. co. nz estimates there was an overhang of just over 28, 000 unsold residential…...
Breakfast briefing: A major financial market re-think is underway
15+ hour, 5+ min ago (1817+ words) Higher long rates tend to feed on themselves when stress (like the Iran War) is elevated. And the US Fed is in no position to cut rates; in fact markets are guessing the chances of a hike are rising. These…...
Pass/fail
12+ hour, 56+ min ago (1105+ words) Because, as Stanford must know, for any examination system to be academically effective a pass mark cannot be given to everybody. A test that everybody passes isn't a test, it's a fraud. It was the widespread perception that the NCEA…...
The world after the Iran war
1+ day, 12+ hour ago (389+ words) Major wars usher in new international orders. The Thirty Years" War brought the Peace of Westphalia. The Napoleonic Wars gave rise to the Concert of Europe. World War II spurred the creation of the Bretton Woods system, decolonisation, and European…...
Turmoil at the Fed won't end anytime soon
1+ day, 12+ hour ago (264+ words) Since Donald Trump's return to the White House, he has relentlessly attacked the US Federal Reserve's independence. In his pursuit'so far fruitless'of considerably lower interest rates, Trump has sought to intimidate and fire Fed officials and pack the central bank…...
What is New Zealand's ideal population?
1+ day, 16+ hour ago (1459+ words) In recent weeks I have been writing articles about New Zealand's economic conundrum, with this being a complex mix comprising stagflation, lack of economic growth and low productivity. To a large extent, it has been a dismal story of how…...
Big drop in activity at the latest residential property auctions
2+ day, 16+ hour ago (579+ words) There was a big drop in activity at the latest residential property auctions, with both the number of properties on offer and the sales rate declining. Interest. co. nz monitored the auctions of 295 residential properties around the country over the…...
Interest rates can't control today's inflation
2+ day, 9+ hour ago (247+ words) For much of 2025 and early 2026, central banks have framed their decision to hold interest rates steady as an exercise in prudence. With inflation once again edging upward even as growth slows, institutions like the'US Federal Reserve'and the'Bank of England'have emphasised…...
A changing landscape for dairy
2+ day, 12+ hour ago (666+ words) New Zealand's dairy sector has been a mainstay of this country's prosperity for generations. It remains our largest goods export sector, supporting regional communities, jobs and stable economic activity across the country. At the same time, it's an incredibly fast-moving…...