Top Business Stories for Monday, Apr 20

Prime Minister John Key is preparing for his first budget as PM next month.

Top business stories from nzherald.co.nz for Mon, Apr 20:

Budget to tighten Govt spending
Prime Minister John Key is planning to tighten the belt on government spending, not loosen it, in the Budget next month.

ICT spend beats recession, up to $19.3bn
New Zealand computer and communication equipment buyers have not been put off by the recession, with new figures showing a 3 per cent rise in ICT sales during the 2008 financial year.

Fonterra's dairy exports to China set to treble
Fonterra has put the tainted milk affair at its former Sanlu joint venture behind it and is on track to treble its dairy exports to China to about 160,000 tonnes this financial year.

Bullish banks raise recovery hopes
It could have been another week from hell on Wall St, as three of the biggest banks still standing delivered their first-quarter results. But all three pulled out better than expected numbers, lifting spirits on the battered equity markets.