New Zealand’s benchmark S&P/NZX 50 rose 0.6% to close at 13,423 on Friday, recouping losses from the past two sessions, though the index still closed the week lower. Gains in financials, healthcare, and consumer non-durables outweighed declines in industrials and utilities. Market sentiment was underpinned by January’s local consumer confidence data, which climbed to its highest level in over four years at 107.2. Among individual stocks, Infratil led the gains, jumping 1.8%, followed by Auckland International Airport (+1.6%), A2 Milk (+0.9%), Contact Energy (+0.7%), Fisher & Paykel (+0.5%), and Spark NZ and EBOS Group (each up 0.4%). Looking ahead, China, New Zealand’s top trading partner, is set to release its PMI over the weekend, while local labour market data is due next week. Despite Friday’s gains, the NZX 50 declined 0.19% for the week and 0.92% for the month, reversing December’s modest rise.
