NZX 50 Rallies, Finish at 5-Week Peak

2026-02-26 05:59 By Farida Husna 1 min. read

New Zealand’s NZX 50 surged 145 points, or 1.1%, to close at a five-week high of 13,671 on Thursday, rebounding from a muted prior session.

A strong lead from U.S.

equities Wednesday, driven by a rally in tech stocks as AI concerns eased, boosted sentiment.

Traders also looked ahead to major policy meetings next month in China, New Zealand’s largest trading partner.

Meanwhile, optimism mounted that a potential U.S.

tariff reset could benefit Beijing, with President Trump expected to visit Xi Jinping in early April.

However, gains were tempered by local data showing business sentiment slipped to a four-month low in February, even as readings remained elevated.

Caution also lingered ahead of China’s PMI releases next week.

Nearly all sectors advanced, led by Gentrack Group (7.6%), Ryman Healthcare (5.1%), Summerset Group Holdings (4.2%), and Seeka Ltd. (4.2%).

Investors now brace for New Zealand’s February consumer confidence data and January building permits, both set to be due Friday.



News Stream
NZX 50 Rallies, Finish at 5-Week Peak
New Zealand’s NZX 50 surged 145 points, or 1.1%, to close at a five-week high of 13,671 on Thursday, rebounding from a muted prior session. A strong lead from U.S. equities Wednesday, driven by a rally in tech stocks as AI concerns eased, boosted sentiment. Traders also looked ahead to major policy meetings next month in China, New Zealand’s largest trading partner. Meanwhile, optimism mounted that a potential U.S. tariff reset could benefit Beijing, with President Trump expected to visit Xi Jinping in early April. However, gains were tempered by local data showing business sentiment slipped to a four-month low in February, even as readings remained elevated. Caution also lingered ahead of China’s PMI releases next week. Nearly all sectors advanced, led by Gentrack Group (7.6%), Ryman Healthcare (5.1%), Summerset Group Holdings (4.2%), and Seeka Ltd. (4.2%). Investors now brace for New Zealand’s February consumer confidence data and January building permits, both set to be due Friday.
2026-02-26
New Zealand Shares Hover at 5-Week High
New Zealand stocks rose 74 points, or 0.6%, to 13,600 in Thursday morning trade, rebounding from a muted session the day before. The benchmark NZX 50 touched a five-week high, lifted by Wall Street’s tech-driven rally on Wednesday as concerns over AI disruption eased. Locally, the Reserve Bank is reportedly proposing nationwide access to free cash services, a move the banking lobby warns would raise costs across the sector and ultimately for all New Zealanders. Gains were capped, however, as U.S. President Trump cautioned countries against retreating from recent trade deals, threatening higher tariffs if they did. Industrial services, healthcare, and utilities led advances, while commercial services and producer manufacturing weighed on momentum. Early standouts included Sky Network TV (4.6%), Seeka Ltd. (1.4%), Meridian Energy (1.3%), and EBOS Group (1.1%). Traders now await January’s business and consumer confidence data for cues on economic health.
2026-02-25
NZX 50 Subdued After Trump Remarks on Trade
The NZX 50 ended slightly lower at 13,525 on Wednesday, reversing morning gains and retreating from a near two-week high after two sessions of strength. Losses in logistics, utilities, and healthcare weighed on sentiment, which weakened after U.S. President Donald Trump warned that countries must not retreat from recently negotiated trade deals and threatened sharply higher duties if they did. In his State of the Union speech, Trump defended tariffs as tools “to make great deals” and called the Supreme Court’s ruling against them “disappointing.” Locally, New Zealand's business and consumer confidence data for January will be due in the coming days. In Australia, inflation came in slightly above expectations in the first month of 2026, highlighting persistent cost pressures that resurfaced in the second half of last year. Among notable laggards were Third Age Health Services (-5.7%), Chorus Ltd. (-4.0%), Ryman Healthcare (-3.7%), and Meridian Energy (-3.1%).
2026-02-25