Too-close-to-call Kiwi election spooks financial markets

Wellington

NEW Zealand's election is too close to call but one thing is clear: financial markets don't want change.

The kiwi dollar has dropped whenever opinion polls show the main opposition Labour Party is ahead, while the currency jumped a full US cent after a survey last week put the ruling National Party in the lead. The question is whether investors, including those offshore who hold 61 per cent of New Zealand government bonds, simply dislike uncertainty or really think Labour's policies would deliver poorer economic outcomes.