The NZX 50 slipped 11 points, or 0.1%, to close at 13,066 on Thursday, erasing gains from the morning session and the previous day. The weakness was led by declines in energy, consumer staples, technology, and industrial stocks.
Investors evaluated China’s Q1 GDP figures, which showed the economy expanding more than expected but at a slower pace than in the same period of 2025. Growth in both March industrial production and retail sales also eased compared with the prior month. Even so, an overnight rally on Wall Street helped cap losses, underpinned by optimism around potential US-Iran ceasefire talks.
Domestically, New Zealand house prices edged down in March on a seasonally adjusted basis, pointing to mildly softer demand amid rising petrol costs linked to tensions in the Middle East, according to data from the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand.
Among the notable decliners were Ebos Group (-2.4%), A2 Milk (-1.8%), Briscoe Group (-1.3%), Freightways Group (-1.2%), and Port of Tauranga (-1.1%).
