-- Solstice Minerals (ASX:SLS) received a co-funded drilling grant of up to AU$200,000 under Round 33 of the Western Australian Government's exploration incentive scheme, with an additional allowance of up to AU$50,000, according to a Wednesday filing with the Australian bourse.
The grant will support step-down reverse circulation/diamond drilling costs at the Nanadie project, the filing said.
Shares fell 4% in morning trade on Wednesday.
Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group (HKG:0256) plans to raise up to HK$145.1 million via a rights offering, according to a Hong Kong bourse filing Tuesday.The luxury watch and jewelry maker's shares jumped 16% in morning trade Wednesday.The firm will offer one rights share priced at HK$0.1 apiece for every three shares held in the company.All in all, qualifying shareholders will be able to subscribe to a pool of 1.45 billion rights shares, and any unsold shares will be offered to the public.The shares represent 33.3% of the company's issued share capital and 25% as enlarged by the transaction.The bulk of the proceeds from the offering will be used to repay the company's borrowings.
CWT International's (HKG:0521) indirect non-wholly owned subsidiary, Straits Financial Services, received approval from the Shanghai Futures Exchange and Guangzhou Futures Exchange to be an overseas intermediary futures broker, according to a Tuesday Hong Kong bourse filing.Shares of the logistics services provider were up nearly 7% in Wednesday morning trade.The qualification allows the unit to assist international clients in trading products listed on both exchanges, the filing said.
New Zealand's unemployment rate fell 0.1 percentage point to 5.3% in the first quarter, aligning with the Reserve Bank's February projection, according to a report released by ANZ on Wednesday.The unemployment rate was slightly lower than ANZ's expectation of 5.4%, per the report.Despite this decline, the underlying data revealed weaker-than-expected employment growth of 0.2% quarter on quarter and a slight fall in the labor participation rate.Meanwhile, wage growth remained stable and consistent with target inflation levels.While employment, hours worked, and paid hours all expanded in the quarter and landed in the ballpark of ANZ's first-quarter gross domestic product forecast of 0.8% quarter on quarter, the data is viewed as a "look in the rearview mirror" with recent global oil price shocks shifting the outlook.Figures indicate a labor market that was recovering in alignment with Reserve Bank forecasts before the oil shock, but offer very little insight into the labor market's future path.