The NZX 50 rose 20 points, or 0.2%, to close at 13,274 on Thursday, extending its winning streak to a fourth session. The index surrendered some earlier gains amid uncertainty surrounding a fragile US–Iran ceasefire but remained at its highest level since March 18. That was the day US President Trump announced a two-week ceasefire between the US–Israel coalition and Iran on Wednesday.
Market sentiment was also supported by comments from RBNZ Governor Anna Breman, who said the economy is still expected to grow in 2026, assuming the Middle East ceasefire holds. On Wednesday, the central bank left the cash rate unchanged at 2.25% for a second consecutive meeting, reiterating its commitment to bringing inflation back to the midpoint of the 1–3% target band.
Gains were led by financial stocks, followed by consumer staples, consumer discretionary, and healthcare names. Among the top performers were Sanford (up 4.0%), Infratil (1.7%), A2 Milk (1.3%), Fisher & Paykel Healthcare (1.0%), and Summerset Group (1.0%).
