The Reserve Bank has this morning left the Official Cash Rate unchanged at a record low 2.5 per cent. The move was widely anticipated, with this week's inflation numbers coming in lower than predicted.

The chances of any official cash rate increase from the Reserve Bank have dropped, with the latest inflation figures coming in lower than expected. The CPI was up 0.4 per cent in the last quarter, taking annual inflation to 4.6pc.

Anyone hoping for a weekend fix to the global banking sector will have to wait a little longer - perhaps a lot longer.

Goldman Sachs Group, whose shares have fallen 43 per cent this year, may report its lowest quarterly profit since the 2008 financial crisis.

Sharemarkets in Europe and the US are up after investors appeared to endorse the European plan to recapitalise threatened banks.

World markets rose overnight after intervention by the Bank of England and the European Central Bank eased fears about the European debt crisis.

Now the dust has settled on 'Double-Downgrade Day', it's worth looking at what it all means.

Tower insurance is lifting its premiums across the board, to help pay for increased re-insurance policies prompted by the Christchurch earthquakes.

Greece's sovereign debt woes could end up affecting New Zealand's access to credit and slowing down the country's economic growth, says Alan Bollard.