\u201cIt was a great start to the reporting season. I\u2019m feeling good about the local reporting \u2013 I think the results will be solid and stable, and companies will prove to be more resilient than people may have thought,\u201d Lister said.<\/p>\n
T&G Global reports its half-year financial result on Friday, and Lister said most of the big companies would report over the next two to three weeks.<\/p>\n
Cinema software management company Vista Group was up 4c to $2.51 after reporting its global market share has increased from 46% to 48%<\/a> following the return of Cinemex\u2019s 312 sites from a competitor.<\/p>\n Vista upgraded its full-year revenue guidance to $179m-$184m (previously $176m-$182m) after increasing first-half revenue 12.2% to $86.3m. Recurring revenue of $80m was up 14%.<\/p>\n Operating earnings (ebitda) increased 24% to $12.4m compared with the same period last year, and there was a bottom-line loss of $1.5m. The full-year ebitda margin remains on track at 18-20%.<\/p>\n Vista said the latest Spider-Man: A Brand New Day movie attracted about US$355m (NZ$603.1m) at the North American box office over the weekend \u2013 and together with the screening of The Odyssey, it will probably be the largest ever domestic box office weekend.<\/p>\n Lister said the direction of markets was still hampered by the Middle East situation and the volatility of the global tech and chipmaking stocks.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were hopeful the US-Iran war would last two weeks, then a month or six weeks. Five and a half months later, we are still talking about it. Investors need to see something concrete in the Middle East.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s good to see oil down again but we also need to see it sustained.\u201d<\/p>\n Brent Crude oil was trading at US$83.55 a barrel, down 5%, after US President Donald Trump called off another round of military strikes on Iran, raising renewed hopes that a diplomatic route to reopening the Strait of Hormuz could be found.<\/p>\n Local stocks<\/p>\n Back home, ASB said the improvement in business and consumer confidence in July was a welcome development given the geopolitical backdrop and moves in the oil price.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether we see a continuation in August remains to be seen in this highly uncertain environment \u2013 and responses did sour as the month (of July) progressed,\u201d ASB said.<\/p>\n The ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence index was up 8 points in July to 99.3 in July \u2013 8 points lower than its January peak but also 19 points off the April low.<\/p>\n The net proportion of households thinking it\u2019s a good time to buy a major household item increased another 4 points to minus 7, but still subdued.<\/p>\n Fisher & Paykel Healthcare was up 46c to $41.15; Spark increased 6c or 3.13% to $1.98; Port of Tauranga gained 22c or 2.72% to $8.32; Freightways added 15c to $14; and Skellerup collected 11c to $7.06.<\/p>\n Vulcan Steel gained 25c or 4.03% to $6.45; Air NZ was up 1.5c or 3.61% to 43c; Sanford added 13c or 1.93% to $6.88; Comvita increased 2.5c or 3.40% to 76c; and KMD Brands improved 7c or 3.87% to $1.88.<\/p>\n Fellow retailer Michael Hill was down 1.5c or 3.57% to 40.5c, and Briscoe Group gained 6c to $4.66 after reporting slightly stronger second quarter sales<\/a> of $193.4m, up 0.25% on the previous corresponding period.<\/p>\n First-half group sales increased 0.79% to $374.2m \u2013 sporting goods was up 4.8% \u2013 and net profit is expected to be at least $27m compared with $29.3m for the same period in the previous year. Online sales grew by $1.5m or 2.07%.<\/p>\n In the property sector, Goodman NZ increased 6c or 3% to $2.06; Kiwi was up 2c or 2.15% to 95c; Vital Healthcare Property Trust gained 3.5c or 1.85% to $1.92; and Investore was down 3c or 2.82% to $1.03.<\/p>\n In the technology sector, Blackpearl Group rebounded 5.5c or 12.36% to 50c; Gentrack was up 7c or 1.94% to $3.68; Eroad gained 2c or 2% to $1.02; and TradeWindow declined 0.006c or 4.05% to 14c.<\/p>\n Ebos Group was down 50c or 2.27% to $21.54; Seeka decreased 10c or 2.02% to $4.85; and Bremworth declined 2.5c or 3.6% to 67c.<\/p>\n