NZX 50 Flat, Poised for Weekly Loss

2026-04-23 23:01 By Chusnul Chotimah 1 min. read

The NZX 50 was almost flat, trading around 12,879 on Friday morning after retreating in the previous session and attempting to recover from its lowest level since April 1, which it touched the day before.

Gains in healthcare, consumer staples, and consumer discretionary offset declines in energy, financials, and materials.

Traders continued to assess Thursday's statement from Finance Minister Nicola Willis on the economic recovery.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis said on Thursday that the economy has been delayed but not derailed, as the Iran war lifted fuel costs and dented business and consumer sentiment.

Moody’s decision to downgrade New Zealand’s outlook from stable to negative also raised concerns.

A2 Milk rose 0.5%, Chorus gained 0.7%, and Ebos Group advanced 0.9%, while Freightways and Infratil fell by 0.5% and 0.7%, respectively.

For the week, the index edged down 0.2%, marking a second straight weekly decline amid uncertainty over US-Iran ceasefire talks.



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NZX 50 Flat, Poised for Weekly Loss
The NZX 50 was almost flat, trading around 12,879 on Friday morning after retreating in the previous session and attempting to recover from its lowest level since April 1, which it touched the day before. Gains in healthcare, consumer staples, and consumer discretionary offset declines in energy, financials, and materials. Traders continued to assess Thursday's statement from Finance Minister Nicola Willis on the economic recovery. Finance Minister Nicola Willis said on Thursday that the economy has been delayed but not derailed, as the Iran war lifted fuel costs and dented business and consumer sentiment. Moody’s decision to downgrade New Zealand’s outlook from stable to negative also raised concerns. A2 Milk rose 0.5%, Chorus gained 0.7%, and Ebos Group advanced 0.9%, while Freightways and Infratil fell by 0.5% and 0.7%, respectively. For the week, the index edged down 0.2%, marking a second straight weekly decline amid uncertainty over US-Iran ceasefire talks.
2026-04-23
NZX 50 Turns Early Strength to Close 0.5% Lower
The NZX 50 fell 61 points, or 0.5%, to close at 12,885 on Thursday, touching its lowest level since April 1 and reversing morning strength, while erasing gains from the previous three sessions as traders worried about delays in economic recovery. Finance Minister Nicola Willis said on Thursday that the economy has been delayed but not derailed, as the Iran war lifted fuel costs and dented business and consumer sentiment. Wednesday’s decision by Moody’s Ratings to downgrade New Zealand’s outlook to negative from stable also pressured sentiment. The downgrade came after Fitch Ratings lowered the country’s outlook to negative from stable in March. Healthcare, materials, consumer discretionary, and financials mainly weighed on the index. Among the bottom performers were Fisher & Paykel Healthcare (-3.0%), Colonial Motor Company (-2.3%), Ebos Group (-1.4%), ANZ Group (-0.9%), F&C Investment Trust (-0.8%), A2 Milk (-0.8%), Chorus (-0.6%), and Mainfreight (-0.5%).
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NZX 50 Rises, Tracks Wall Street Higher
New Zealand's stocks climbed 36 points, or 0.3%, to 12,981 in morning trade on Thursday, gaining for the fourth straight session and tracking a rally on Wall Street on Wednesday, as traders welcomed US President Trump's decision to extend a ceasefire with Iran. Energy, consumer staples, real estate, and healthcare sectors mainly drove the index. Sentiment was also lifted by a statement from the Labour Party pledging support for the India–New Zealand free trade deal, giving National and ACT the required numbers to pass it through Parliament. However, a downgrade of New Zealand's outlook by Moody's, from stable to negative, due to global economic and political uncertainty, limited the gains. The downgrade came after Fitch Ratings lowered the country's outlook to negative from stable in March. Among early gainers were Henderson Far East Income (2.0%), Ebos Group (1.4%), Ryman Healthcare (1.4%), Auckland International Airport (1.0%), and A2 Milk (0.9%).
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