New Zealand shares fell 150 points, or 1.1%, to close at 13,793 on Tuesday, marking a second consecutive decline, with materials, technology, energy, and utilities leading the losses. Sentiment was further dampened by rising oil prices amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East, which stoked inflation concerns and strengthened expectations of further interest rate hikes by central banks.
Investors also adopted a cautious stance ahead of China’s consumer and producer price data due on Wednesday, against a backdrop of persistently weak domestic demand. The downturn was partially limited by a report from Moody’s, which noted that New Zealand’s economic recovery is underway, while cautioning that several key challenges remain unresolved.
Additional support came from fresh data out of China, New Zealand’s largest trading partner, showing robust export growth in August. Still, notable decliners on the day included Gentrack Group (-5.1%), Mercury NZ (-2.5%), ANZ Group (-2.4%), Mainfreight (-2.3%), Fletcher Building (-2.3%), Channel Infrastructure (-1.4%), and Infratil (-1.1%).
