The New Zealand sharemarket eased today, turning its back on nine consecutive days of gains despite the release of positive results from two of the smaller companies.The benchmark NZX-50 index closed down 9.6 points, or 0.3%, at 3213.21, reversing yesterd
The New Zealand sharemarket eased today, turning its back on nine consecutive days of gains despite the release of positive results from two of the smaller companies.
The benchmark NZX-50 index closed down 9.6 points, or 0.3%, at 3213.21, reversing yesterday's 8-point gain.
Retailer Briscoe Group was unchanged at $1.35 after reporting an 81% lift in full year net profit to $21 million. Sales revenue rose 7.3%, despite continued economic uncertainty and only a partial recovery in overall retail spending.
Clothing retailer Postie Plus was also flat, at 40c, after reporting a smaller first half loss of $1.1 million compared with a year earlier as sales rose.
Among the top stocks, Telecom fell 3c to $2.21, Fletcher Building was flat at $8.10, Contact Energy was up 4c at $6.15 and Auckland International Airport was down a cent at $1.93.
Mainfreight closed up 7c at $6.07, having earlier hit its highest point since October 2008 at $6.08.
Also on the rise were NZ Oil and Gas, up 2c at $1.60, Freightways, 3c higher at $3.10, and Kathmandu, up 3c at $2.25.
Casino operator Sky City slipped 7c to $3.25, Trustpower fell 4c to $7.20, and Fisher&Paykel Healthcare lost 3c to $3.29.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index was up 12 points, or 0.3%, at 4819, while Japan's Nikkei 225 Average was down 0.1%.
In the US, technology shares pushed the Nasdaq higher on an otherwise flat day for stocks, led by BlackBerry maker Research in Motion and Cisco Systems.
