Bloomberg New Zealand’s central bank said further monetary easing is probably needed to lift inflation, reinforcing expectations of an interest-rate cut next month. The currency fell to a six-week low. “At this stage it seems likely that further policy easing will be required to ensure that future average inflation settles near the middle of the target range,” the Reserve …

  AFP The yen on Thursday slid to its lowest level in about six weeks on expectations of fresh stimulus from the Japanese government and central bank, ahead of a European Central Bank meeting later in the day. Japan’s currency has lost most of the sharp gains it made in reaction to Britain’s June 23 vote to exit the European …

  Bloomberg SMRT Corp shares rose after Singapore’s state investment firm Temasek Holdings Pte offered S$1.2 billion (US$884 million) to buy out the island-city’s biggest train operator, 16 years after the company became the first Asian subway operator outside Japan to list shares. The shares advanced 6.5 percent to close at S$1.645, resuming trading Thursday after a suspension on July …