The NZX 50 slipped 15 points, or 0.1%, to 12,889 in Friday morning trade, snapping a two-session winning streak, with energy, materials, and consumer discretionary stocks leading the decline. Sentiment was weighed down by fresh data showing New Zealand’s consumer confidence fell in April to its lowest level since May 2023, following Thursday’s report that business sentiment had turned negative for the first time since August 2023.
Investors were also cautious ahead of the release of Q1 2025 unemployment figures, after the jobless rate in Q4 2025 rose to its highest level since Q3 2015. Even so, the decline in the NZX 50 was limited by a strong rally on Wall Street overnight, driven largely by robust earnings from major technology companies.
Notable early decliners included Port of Tauranga (-1.2%), Meridian Energy (-0.5%), Auckland International Airport (-0.4%), Chorus (-0.3%), and Delegat Group (-0.3%). For the week, the index is on track to edge up 0.1%, its first weekly gain in three weeks.
