FX.co ★ New Zealand Stocks Rise Slightly in Early Deals

On Thursday morning, New Zealand's stock market experienced a slight uptick, with shares rising by 16 points, or 0.1%, to reach 12,796. This increase marked a pause in the previous day's declines, driven by advances in sectors such as financials, consumer services, real estate, and utilities. Additionally, smaller and mid-sized companies made gains of roughly 0.3%, bolstering overall market sentiment. The positive momentum received an added boost from a temporary easing of US-China trade tensions. China announced a pause in certain non-tariff measures against 17 American entities on its unreliable entity list and 28 entities on its export control list, promoting a more favorable trade environment. Nevertheless, gains were somewhat tempered by new domestic data indicating an acceleration in New Zealand's food inflation, which rose to 3.7% in April from 3.5% in March—the highest rate in over 15 months. Notable early gainers included Seeka, which rose by 2.8%, Marsden Maritime by 1.8%, Infratil by 1.2%, Henderson Far East Income by 1.2%, Mainfreight by 0.9%, ANZ Group by 0.6%, and Westpac Banking Corp by 0.4%.