New Zealand stocks increased 52 points or 0.4% to a new record of 13,673 in Thursday morning trade, extending gains for a 10th straight session.
Sentiment was buoyed by Wall Street’s rebound after U.S. private payrolls surged in October.
Locally, Q3 unemployment hit 5.3%, the highest since 2016, fueling expectations of further RBNZ easing later this month.
However, gains were tempered by caution ahead of key data from top trading partner China, including October trade and CPI/PPI figures.
Investors also cautiously awaited New Zealand’s September visitor arrivals next week, following strong August numbers.
Early leaders included Sky Network TV (1.1%), Delegat Group (1.0%), Meridian Energy (0.9%), and Ryman Healthcare (0.7%).