The NZX 50 rose 136 points, or 1.1%, to close at 12,996 on Friday, reversing early losses and advancing for a third consecutive session. The move tracked a strong rally on Wall Street overnight, underpinned by robust first-quarter earnings. The benchmark reached its highest level since April 16, led primarily by gains in real estate, consumer staples, industrials, and financials.
Further upside was tempered by weak domestic data. Consumer confidence dropped in April to its lowest level since May 2023, while figures released on Thursday showed business sentiment turning negative for the first time since August 2023. Investors were also looking ahead to next week’s release of first-quarter 2026 unemployment data, after the jobless rate in the fourth quarter of 2025 climbed to its highest level since the third quarter of 2015.
Notable gainers included Mainfreight (up 3.4%), A2 Milk (2.7%), Infratil (2.3%), and Westpac Banking Corp. (1.9%). For the week, the NZX 50 added 1.3%, marking its first weekly advance in three weeks.
