NZX 50 Erases Gains at Finish, Down 0.1%

New Zealand stocks edged down 10 points, or 0.1%, to close at 13,920 on Thursday, reversing gains in morning trade and ending gains from the previous two sessions, mainly weighed down by energy, consumer staples, and industrials. Traders took profit after the broader index hit its highest level since August 5 a day earlier, when the index reached a record high. However, gains in communication services, financials, and healthcare capped the fall. Gains in US stock futures also limited the decline amid a sharp drop in Treasury yields. Among the biggest laggards were ANZ Group (-3.3%), A2 Milk (-2.1%), Briscoe Group (-1.8%), Auckland International Airport (-1.5%), which posted a fall in profit after tax including revaluation, Chorus (-1.5%), and EBOS Group (-1.3%). By contrast, Spark New Zealand, New Zealand's largest telecommunications company, surged 6.4%, following a 91.9% jump in net profit for H2 2026. Skellerup Holdings rose 1.4% after posting a 24.2% jump in net profit.

New Zealand stocks rose 58 points, or 0.4%, to 13,987 in Thursday morning trading, up for the third consecutive session and marking their highest level since August 5, when the index reached a record high, with gains mainly in communication services, energy, and real estate. Optimism over earnings results continued to fuel sentiment while traders braced for further releases from some companies later today. Communication services surged 2.3% after Spark New Zealand, New Zealand's largest telecommunications company, soared 5.0%, following a 91.9% jump in net profit for H2 2026. Meanwhile, Wall Street mostly closed in the green overnight due to easing Treasury yields, which offset weakness in tech stocks and also lifted sentiment. Other early gainers were Channel Infrastructure (1.5%) and Skellerup Holdings (0.7%). EBOS Group continued to gain (0.8%) after posting a 4.7% rise in net profit for the full year ended June 30, 2026. SkyCity rose 1.7% despite posting a 38% fall in net profit.

New Zealand's stocks rose 63 points, or 0.5%, to close at 13,930 on Wednesday, marking their highest level since August 6 and extending gains from the previous session, mainly buoyed by gains in healthcare and communication services. Positive earnings results from some companies lifted sentiment, while investors braced for further releases. However, a downbeat session on Wall Street overnight, due to a selloff in chipmaker-related stocks, rising Treasury yields, and higher oil prices, capped gains. On the data front, New Zealand's input and output prices rose 2.9% and 1.6%, respectively, quarter-on-quarter in Q2, marking the fastest increases since Q1 2025. EBOS Group surged 8.0% after reporting a 4.7% rise in net profit for the full year ended June 30, 2026, while Fletcher Building jumped 6.2% after the company recorded a profit following a loss in the previous quarter. Meanwhile, Spark NZ rose 3.3% ahead of the release of its earnings results on Thursday.