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International
National Average Rent in New Zealand Falls in April, Realestate.co.nz Says
National average rent in New Zealand saw a 1.4% decline to NZ$631 per week in April, compared with NZ$640 per week during the same time last year, and almost NZ$30 below the highest recorded rent in May 2024 of NZ$660 per week, according to figures from realestate.co.nz.Rent also decreased in most parts of the country, with the average weekly rent falling in 10 of 19 regions compared with last year.Central North Island rents fell to NZ$566 per week in April this year from NZ$619 in April 2025, while Gisborne rents fell to NZ$628 per week from NZ$664.Wellington also saw a year-on-year decline to NZ$620 per week from NZ$647 per week.Meanwhile, national new rental listings rose 5.1% in April this year to 6,165 from 5,868 in the same period last year.
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International
Australian Card Activity Shows Emerging Slowdown in Discretionary Spend, Westpac Says
Australian card activity showed an emerging slowdown in discretionary spending, with the Westpac-DataX Card Tracker Index rising 2.1 points over the two weeks to April 25, reversing an earlier decline, according to a report released on Wednesday.Quarterly growth momentum remained subdued at around 1% as of late April, down from 1.2% in the first quarter and slower than the 2% average of the previous three quarters.Meanwhile, monthly growth showed more volatility due to fluctuations in fuel prices, which spiked in March before dropping in April following an excise tax cut and reduced demand.The most recent week indicated a notable 1% month-over-month decline.Data from the last six weeks displayed a more pronounced slowdown in discretionary categories, particularly discretionary services, which have now entered into outright contraction despite ongoing activity in both fuel and electricity.
ASX 200
International
Australia Trade Balance Swings to Deficit in March
Australia's goods balance recorded a seasonally adjusted deficit of AU$1.84 billion in March, down from a surplus of AU$5.03 billion in February, marking the first deficit since December 2017, according to data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Thursday.Goods exports fell 2.7%, or AU$1.21 billion, to AU$43.93 billion, driven by a AU$639 million decrease in the other rural category.Goods imports rose over 14%, or AU$5.65 billion, to AU$45.77 billion, driven by a AU$3.23 billion increase in automatic data processing equipment.
ASX 200