Wellington, May 5 NZPA - The sharemarket's benchmark top-50 index closed above the 2800-point level for the first time since November 2008, pulling away from recent five-year lows.

Wellington, April 22 NZPA - Commonwealth Bank of Australia Ltd (CBA), the Australian bank run by New Zealander Ralph Norris, has awarded a 10-year contract worth up to $A100 ($NZ128.36) million per year to Telstra.

Wellington, April 14 NZPA - The New Zealand sharemarket closed more than 1 percent higher today as it returned to work after the Easter break.

Wellington, April 7 NZPA - A modest gain by Telecom was unable to stop the sharemarket from wiping out yesterday's gains, as stocks declined across the board following hefty losses in other markets.

Wellington, April 7 NZPA - Online accounting software company Xero raised $23.2 million, with the company saying the money came from strategic investors who could add value to its growth strategies.

Wellington, March 26 NZPA - Vodafone has joined Telecom in criticising the Commerce Commission's call for drastic reductions in mobile termination rates, saying cutting rates will not necessarily mean savings will be passed on to customers.

Wellington, March 25 NZPA - The New Zealand sharemarket meandered along today, moving lower despite some of the newsmakers in recent months making ground. The NZSX-50 index was down 5 points, or 0.19 percent, to 2630.326 when it closed at 5pm today.

Wellington, Feb 24 NZPA - The New Zealand sharemarket slid further today, showing no sign of wanting to rise from its five year low.

Wellington, Feb 18 NZPA - The New Zealand sharemarket pursued dire overseas markets and lost nearly 30 points in the opening minutes of trading today.

Wellington, Feb 10 NZPA - The New Zealand sharemarket drifted downwards today as Telecom slipped 6 cents and investors bided their time. The benchmark NZSX-50 index closed at 5pm at 2750.05, down 16.510 points, or 0.6 percent from 2766.56.