The New Zealand sharemarket gained in early trade but remained below a six-month intraday high reached yesterday.Around 10.15am the benchmark NZX-50 index was up 6.65 points to 3292.09, having topped 3306 during the day yesterday before ending down 4.3 po
The New Zealand sharemarket gained in early trade but remained below a six-month intraday high reached yesterday.
Around 10.15am the benchmark NZX-50 index was up 6.65 points to 3292.09, having topped 3306 during the day yesterday before ending down 4.3 points.
In early trading today Sky City was up 2c to 294, Hellaby Holdings was up 2c to 200, and Fletcher Building gained 2c to 810 after shedding 12c yesterday. OceanaGold added 8c to 475, Pumpkin Patch lifted 4c to 200, and Kirkcaldie&Stains added 5c to 270.
Trustpower lost 4c early to 750, NZX was down 2c to 157 and Fisher&Paykel Healthcare dropped 2c to 328. Telecom was unchanged on 207 and Contact Energy unchanged on 585.
In the United States, mixed earnings reports and a stronger US dollar helped stocks finish about where they started the day.
The Dow Jones industrial average wavered within a 100-point range as traders attempted to parse the direction of the economy amid a drop in home prices, a batch of weak earnings reports and a slight rise in consumer confidence.
The Dow rose 0.1 percent to 11,169.46, the Standard&Poor's 500 index rose 0.02 to 1185.64, while the technology-focused Nasdaq composite index rose 0.3 percent to 2497.29.
Ford Motor Co and Coach Inc were among the few bright spots in the big batch of earnings reports released.
