1 - RBNZ's Bollard says he's concerned about higher long term rates
April 1st, 2009
Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard took the unusual step on Wednesday of saying he was concerned about the sharp rise in long term interest rates in recent weeks, saying they were "out of line with Reserve Bank expectations." (Updated to include Kiwi dollar's slump immediately after the warning)
2 - Analysis: How John Key secured a US$1 bln loan for New Zealand with a newspaper interview
March 31st, 2009
If John Key was still an investment banker, this deal would have earned him a big enough bonus to buy another bach at Omaha. As New Zealand Prime Minister he will receive nothing more than a thank-you from New Zealand's biggest bank and a quiet pat on the back from Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard.
3 - Opinion: Why New Zealand (and the RBNZ) should embrace higher long term interest rates
April 2nd, 2009
Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard railed yesterday morning against a pesky increase in longer term wholesale interest rates, saying they were "unwarranted and inconsistent with the monetary policy outlook." His obvious but unstated concern was that the associated rise in mortgage rates might derail the economic recovery he was banking on for later this year.
4 - Top 10 at 10: Merkel tells Brown to stop spending; the ING 'smoking gun'; the ugly Nuplex twist; Obama's liberal enemy; Geithner wants more; US "˜armageddon by 2012"² says Celente
March 30th, 2009
Here's my top 10 links from around the Internet at 10am. I welcome your additions in the comments below.
The backlash is beginning in earnest
So far the opposition to the Obama/Brown borrow, spend and print strategy has been among academics, bloggers and a few no-name politicians. Then last week we heard the European Union President, Czech PM Mirek Topolanek, describe the Obama approach as the "˜the road to hell'. Then British conservative MEP Daniel Hannan confronted Gordon Brown in the European parliament with this hard hitting "Devalued Prime Minister" rant.
5 - Home owners, agents hike listing prices back to peak levels due to "˜turning market'
April 1st, 2009
Media speculation about the housing market "˜turning the corner', and lower interest rates, contributed to a rise in the median asking price for listed homes in March back to the peak levels last seen in October 2007, property listing site Realestate.co.nz said in its NZ Property Report released on Wednesday.
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