14.01.202623:09:53UTC+00New Zealand Shares Ease from Record Peak

In Thursday morning trading, New Zealand's NZX 50 index dropped 56 points, or 0.4%, settling at 13,702. This decline came as investors chose to secure profits following a record high achieved the previous day. Similarly, Wall Street continued its downward trajectory on Wednesday, retreating from recent peaks amid geopolitical tensions, mixed economic data, and the onset of early earnings reports. In New Zealand, there was increased caution ahead of the upcoming December food inflation and PMI data releases on Friday, followed by the fourth-quarter CPI results next week, especially after the third quarter showed the most significant increase in five quarters.

Nevertheless, these losses were somewhat mitigated by a record trade surplus in 2025 with New Zealand's primary trading partner, China. December's trade figures remained above USD 100 billion, primarily due to robust exports to markets outside the U.S., circumventing the tariffs imposed by Trump. Downward pressure on the index originated from sectors like manufacturing, transport, and logistics, even as industrial services and energy minerals helped restrict the declines. Among the notable companies with declining shares were Winton Land (-1.7%), Vista Group International (-1.7%), Serko Ltd. (-1.2%), and Infratil Ltd. (-1.0%).