NZX 50 Extends Losses Toward Six-Week Low

2026-01-29 05:26 By Jereli Escobar 1 min. read

New Zealand’s benchmark S&P/NZX 50 fell 0.5% to close at 13,349 on Thursday, extending losses from the previous session, as most sectors declined, including healthcare, financials, consumers, and non-energy.

Sentiment was pressured by the US Federal Reserve’s decision to keep interest rates unchanged, reinforcing uncertainty around the timing of future rate cuts.

Traders monitored local business confidence after it slipped 10 points from December’s 30-year high of 73.6.

Among the laggards were EBOS Group (-1.5%), Mainfreight (-1.1%), Auckland International Airport (-1.1%), and Infratil (-0.8%).

Investors are now looking ahead to consumer confidence figures due early Friday, followed by Q4 labour market data next week, alongside China’s PMI data over the weekend.



News Stream
New Zealand Equities Retreat
The S&P/NZX 50 fell 0.2% to close at 13,444 on Thursday, halting gains from the previous session as losses in non-energy, healthcare, and communications stocks outweighed gains in financials and utilities. The decline followed Wall Street, where major US tech and AI-linked stocks came under pressure, dampening investor sentiment. Non-energy minerals led the retreat, down 3.2% with notable declines in Santana Minerals (-6.8%), Fletcher Building (-2.4%), Manuka Resources (-2.2%), and Chatham Rock Phosphate (-1.6%). Other notable decliners are Serko (-4.4%), Summerset (-2.3%), Infratil (-1%), A2 Milk (-1%), Spark NZ (-0.4%), and Fisher & Paykel (-0.3%). Despite Thursday’s decline, the NZX 50 ended the holiday-shortened week 0.16% higher. Markets in New Zealand will be closed on Friday for a public holiday.
2026-02-05
NZ50 Drops, Set to End Week on Muted Note
The NZX 50 fell 39 points, or 0.3%, to 13,428 in morning trade on Thursday, halting gains from the previous session, as traders continued to assess Wednesday’s jobs data. The latest data showed the unemployment rate in New Zealand rose to 5.4% in Q4, marking the highest level since Q3 2015, while employment increased 0.5%, above estimates of 0.3% after being flat in Q3. The latest figures raised questions over whether the central bank will cut interest rates at the upcoming meeting. The broader index tracked a fall on Wall Street’s S&P 500 and Nasdaq overnight, amid a persistent tech stock sell-off. Financials, industrials, consumer staples, and real estate mainly weighed on the index. Among early losers were Freightways Group (-1.7%), Infratil (-1.3%), Contact Energy (-1.3%), A2 Milk (-0.8%), and Summerset Group (-0.6%). For the week, the index is set to finish almost unchanged, after falling in the previous two weeks. The New Zealand market will be closed on Friday for National Day.
2026-02-04
New Zealand Shares End Day Higher
New Zealand’s benchmark S&P/NZX 50 rose 0.3% to close at 13,467 on Wednesday, led by gains in utilities, financials, and health technology. Sentiment was lifted by China, New Zealand’s top trading partner, following the release of its January composite PMI at a three-month high of 51.6 and a service PMI also at a three-month peak of 52.3. Local data also showed a mixed picture as the Q4 unemployment rate edged up to 5.4% from 5.3% in the previous quarter, while employment growth picked up to 0.5% after remaining flat in Q3. The mixed jobs report weighed on the local dollar, supporting exporters and stabilizing rate-sensitive sectors. Investors are also awaiting US employment data due later today. Key contributors to the advance were heavyweights Contact Energy (+2.8%), Mercury NZ (+2.2%), Meridian Energy (+1.6%), Auckland International Airport (+1%), Fisher & Paykel (+0.7%), and EBOS Group (+0.4%).
2026-02-04