08.02.202622:48:15UTC+00New Zealand Stocks Extend Losses to Strat the Week

In the early hours of Monday trading, the NZX 50 experienced a decline of 50 points, or 0.4%, settling at 13,394. This marked the second consecutive session of losses, largely driven by downturns in the healthcare, non-energy minerals, and commercial services sectors. Market sentiment remained cautious as investors awaited significant inflation data from China—New Zealand's largest trading partner—with both CPI and PPI figures scheduled for release later in the week. Domestically, focus shifted towards the imminent release of January's PMI figures, December's visitor arrival statistics, and Q1 business inflation expectations, which are anticipated to offer new insights into local demand and pricing trends. Nevertheless, losses were somewhat mitigated by a strong performance in U.S. equities the previous Friday, highlighted by the Dow Jones surpassing the 50,000 milestone for the first time. This rally was fueled by optimism surrounding U.S. economic growth and potential Federal Reserve interest rate cuts, effectively overshadowing concerns related to the AI sector. Key underperformers included Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, which saw a 2.3% decline, followed by PGG Wrightson down by 2.2%, Spark New Zealand by 0.9%, and EBOS Group by 0.8%.