Australia & New Zealand
Australian February Employment Rose Less Than Forecast; Jobless Rate 5.3% Australian employers added the
fewest jobs in six months in February, suggesting the central
bank has room to slow the pace of future interest-rate increases.
New Zealand Won't Raise Interest Rates Until Middle of Year, Bollard Says New Zealand’s central bank said it
will wait until the middle of the year before raising interest
rates as falling house prices and weak consumer spending are
contributing to a slow economic recovery.
Credit Suisse Sells $1 Billion Bonds as Australia Attracts Foreign Banks Credit Suisse Group AG’s Sydney
branch sold A$1.1 billion ($1 billion) of four-year bonds, the
latest international bank attracted to Australia by its investor
base and cost of swapping the proceeds back into U.S. dollars.
Kiwi Slides as Bollard Signals Rate Rises; Aussie Is Near Seven-Week High The New Zealand dollar fell against
its 16 major counterparts as the central bank signaled a slower
exit from stimulus measures. Australia’s currency traded near a
seven-month high as full-time jobs grew for a sixth month.
Telstra's `Too Cheap to Ignore' Shares Rise After 6-Month Underperformance Telstra Corp., Australia’s largest
phone company, rose for a second day in Sydney trading extending
gains in the period to the most in nine months after Morgan
Stanley analysts said the stock was “too cheap to ignore.”
World Currency Trading Rises 17% to $2.7 Trillion a Day, Reserve Bank Says Global currency trading rose to
$2.7 trillion a day between April and October, the first growth
since the six months to April 2008, the Reserve Bank of
Australia said, citing data from five markets.
Commonwealth Hires 2 Telcommunications, Media Analysts From Merrill Lynch Commonwealth Bank of Australia, the
nation’s largest lender by market value, hired two equity
analysts from Bank of America Merrill Lynch as it expands its
institutional equities team.
Macquarie May Seek Further Purchases in U.S. in `Once-in-Generation' Push Macquarie Group Ltd., which made
five North American acquisitions in 2009, may buy more U.S.
assets and add bankers servicing mid-sized companies to gain a
larger slice of the world’s biggest investment-banking market.
AGL Energy May Sell Queensland Coal-Seam Gas Field Stake If Arrow Bought AGL Energy Ltd., Australia’s
largest electricity retailer, said it may sell its 50 percent
stake in the Moranbah coal-seam gas field in Queensland state
should Royal Dutch Shell Plc acquire Arrow Energy Ltd.
Transurban Group Said to Plan Sale of at Least $137 Million, 4-year Bonds Transurban Group, an owner of toll-
roads in Australia and the U.S., plans to sell at least A$150
million ($137 million) of four-year bonds, according to a person
familiar with the matter.
Indonesia's Yudhoyono Wants Australian Firms to Tap Energy-Rich Provinces Indonesian President Bambang Susilo
Yudhoyono said expanding trade links with Australia is an
opportunity for companies to invest in his country’s energy-rich
eastern region.
Senate Approves Plan to Transfer Some ASX Powers to Securities Regulator Australia approved the transfer of
some ASX Ltd. supervisory powers to the nation’s securities
regulator, paving the way for rival exchanges.
Australian Workplaces Hit by 54% Increase in Days Lost to Labor Disputes Australian workplaces suffered a 54
percent increase in the amount of working days lost due to
industrial disputes in the three months to Dec. 31 from the
previous quarter, the Australia Bureau of Statistics said.
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