FX.co ★ NZX 50 Extends Rally, Logs Best Week in Over a Year

The S&P/NZX 50 index in New Zealand saw a notable increase, rising 0.5% to close at 13,514 on Friday. This marks the fifth consecutive session of gains, driven primarily by robust performances in the healthcare, consumer services, energy minerals, and consumer durables sectors. Attention now shifts towards the upcoming policy decision from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, where there is a strong market expectation of a 0.25% rate reduction to 2.75%. Meanwhile, on the international front, traders are assessing the potential duration of the US government shutdown, its effects on the release of economic data, and subsequent implications for the Federal Reserve's policy decisions. In the corporate arena, substantial gains were posted by industry giants Fisher & Paykel (+1.3%), Infratil (+2.4%), and Spark NZ (+1.3%). SkyCity Entertainment (+6.7%), Kiwi Property (+1.9%), and Channel Infrastructure (+1.5%) also delivered impressive performances. Overall, the NZX 50 experienced a 3.1% surge this week, marking its most significant weekly increase since August 2024.