MARKET CLOSE: NZ shares drop on weak offshore leads, Sky TV and NZ Refining fall on dividends

MARKET CLOSE: NZ shares drop on weak offshore leads, Sky TV and NZ Refining fall on dividends
Sophie Boot
By Sophie Boot March 14 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand shares fell, on weak offshore leads and local stocks giving up dividend rights, with Sky Network Television, New Zealand Refining Co and Mercury New Zealand declining. The S&P/NZX50 Index dropped 40.51 points, or 0.5 percent, to 8,432.63. Within the index, 21 stocks fell, 21 were unchanged, and eight rose. Turnover was $154 million.  "There has been a bit of a negative lead from offshore, quite a big deal didn't go through with Broadcom and Qualcomm in the US," said Greg Easton, inve...