Wholemilk powder prices, which are key to determining Fonterra's farm gate milk price, rose by 12.1 per cent to an average US$2078 a tonne at the last auction on September 2.

Fonterra is cutting back the amount of product it sells on its GlobalDairyTrade auction platform for the next 12 months.

An interesting detail emerged this week regarding the suspect trading in Xero shares that preceded the software firm's February announcement of a $147 million capital raising.

New Zealand stock market operator NZX has accredited American company Straits Financial to access its growing dairy derivatives market.

The kiwi dollar has fallen by a full US cent this morning after the Reserve Bank cut the official cash rates to 2.75pc.

The New Zealand dollar has advanced ahead of the Reserve Bank's official cash rate announcement this morning.

Share prices firmed by just under one per cent after major offshore markets surged higher overnight.

Global equity markets gained and commodity markets rallied overnight, triggered in part by a late surge in Chinese equities.

Low world dairy prices aren't stopping the NZ industry - production was up 13pc last month from July last year.

US economic data has kept alive expectations the Federal Reserve may hike interest rates this month.

Whole milk powder prices, which are the key to determining Fonterra's farmgate milk price, rose by 12.1 per cent to an average US$2078 a tonne.

Fonterra's move to cut the amount it sells on its global dairy auction appears to have worked.

The dollar fell after weak Chinese factory data yesterday raised concerns about a slowdown in Asia's largest economy.

New Zealand's terms of trade unexpectedly rose in the second quarter as a slide of almost 10 per cent in the Kiwi dollar helped lift prices of exports such as dairy products.

Investors are selling currencies such as the kiwi as they unwind so called 'carry trades'.

New Zealand is prepared to fight for "the principles of trade" in its beef battle with Indonesia, says our ambassador to the Southeast Asian nation.

The dollar edged up with gains limited by a stronger US dollar buoyed by better economic data.

Protesters jostled with police last night as they tried to disrupt a National Party fundraising event in Dunedin.

The departure of Fisher & Paykel Healthcare chief executive Mike Daniell might unsettle some investors but is unlikely to derail the company, say market players.

F&P Healthcare's boss Mike Daniell says he'll retire this year, as the company announces an upgrade to its earnings guidance.

The world's largest bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, is stepping up its international expansion to offset China's slowing economic growth, according to former chief executive Yang Kaisheng.

The country's trade deficit was smaller than expected in July as exports of fruit and meat drove overseas sales higher.

In the first minutes of trade, the S&P/NZX50 was up 28 points, led by post-result gains from Air NZ and Metlifecare.

It follows a period of volatile trading as investor confidence about weakness in China abated.

Trade Minister Tim Groser has lashed out at public opposition to the Trans Pacific Partnership, saying he won't let "anti-trade forces" stand in the way of the contentious deal.

The New Zealand sharemarket staged a comeback yesterday after being 2.5 per cent down at one point but China's sharemarket rout continues.