The NZX 50 rose 50 points, or 0.4%, to 13,100 in Wednesday morning trade, extending the previous session’s gains to reach a new two-week high. The advance was led primarily by healthcare, financial, and real estate stocks. In the healthcare sector, heavyweight Fisher & Paykel Healthcare added more than 1% to hit a one-month high after reporting higher annual net profit. Infrastructure investor Infratil climbed 0.9% after posting a net surplus for the fiscal year, reversing a loss recorded a year earlier. Real estate names also traded higher, including Kiwi Property (+0.5%), Argosy Property (+1.5%), and Stride Property Group (+0.9%).
Investors are now focused on the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s monetary policy decision due later today, with markets widely expecting interest rates to be left unchanged, as well as on the release of the government’s 2026 budget. Globally, sentiment remained supported by continued optimism over a potential US–Iran peace deal, despite ongoing military strikes in the Persian Gulf.
