The new age of finance has arrived in the shape of the Financial Markets Conduct Act (FMC), which sets down rules for the fashionable technology-enabled activities of ‘crowd-funding’ and ‘peer-to-peer lending’.

John Key won't be thanking the IMF for taking a little bit of the shine off his new joint goal for bilateral trade between NZ and China to reach $30 billion by 2020, writes Fran O'Sullivan.

According to a list I compiled earlier, 11 KiwiSaver providers volunteered for default duty but only nine were approved by the government last week.

So what's the difference between KiwiSaver and the Government's Superannuation Fund and is Kiwisaver backed by the Government?

Watch closely. We are about to find out if we have learned anything from the financial crisis, writes Liam Dann.

The Shareholders Association has warned investors to be wary of the market speculation surrounding TRS Investments - the company which this week announced it would merge with Kim Dotcom's Mega in a $210 million deal.

China has embarked on a process of financial liberalisation and the sheer numbers involved mean it will have profound implications across the region, writes Brian Fallow.

Head-hunting former Fonterra executive Gary Romano as chief executive of Pengxin International is a coup for the rapidly expanding Chinese company.

It is unfortunate that some Government sloppiness about business relationships has clouded the coverage of John Key's trip to China, writes Liam Dann.

Presidential invitation a sign that China sees NZ not just as a trading partner but as a 'member of the family', writes Fran O'Sullivan.

Dairy pervades the economy and the cultural landscape - our obsession with flat whites, free milk in schools and even our political scandals, as witnessed last week.

A chance meeting with a Filipino woman buying a $6 pig's head at the Mad Butcher got me thinking about less-than-popular cuts such as pork belly.

Exceltium Corporate & Public Affairs owner Matthew Hooton is crowing from the rooftops after the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust won a victory against the body that decides its ratepayer funding.

Pacific Edge has had a rollercoaster of a ride this week after receiving a please explain notice from the stock exchange about its recent share price decline and then an index notice to....

Rate rises can seem a bit baffling, but the formula is pretty simple and the Reserve Bank has seldom been more explicit, writes NZ Herald business editor Liam Dann.

This OCR hike is just the start of the cycle, says Herald economics editor Brian Fallow.

Australia's Future of Financial Advice legislation was intended to create a conflict-free zone.

From a Chinese perspective it makes perfect sense. After more than 20 years of rapid export-led growth it is time to fine-tune the economy, writes Liam Dann.

The strife between Russia and the Ukraine has resulted in a tough week for European stock markets but the NZ bourse has taken no notice of the situation and hit new highs, writes Tamsyn Parker.

Many large players pitched for the Kiwi waste business, but Beijing Capital rolled in with a $950 million cheque, and the deal was done, writes Dita De Boni.

If the issue of inequality and poverty is to loom large in this election year there are a couple of cherished beliefs on both sides of politics that need to surrender to evidence, writes Brian Fallow.

There is a huge amount riding on just how the West deals with Putin's incursion, with the Ukraine merely a pawn in the Russian president's geopolitical chess game, writes Fran O'Sullivan.

The short answer is yes, KiwiSaver is taxed. But taxation isn't the only difference between saving through KiwiSaver and the cash-deposit options.

The economy is not suddenly perfect just because the economic cycle has turned for the better, writes Liam Dann. There is still serious work to be done,

The Government has given itself a tight timetable for the Genesis Energy float...

Even as John Key was reiterating his pig-headed refusal to address the long-term affordability of the state pension, the NZ Superannuation Fund reported on its performance, writes Brian Fallow.

Liam Dann asks: "Is the Government decision to sell as little as 30 per cent of Genesis a back down or just pragmatism? That probably depends exactly where you sit on the political divide."