New Zealand shares ended lower on Friday as most Asian markets saw a sell-off as investors remained cautious despite the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire taking effect ahead of US-Iran peace talks.
The S&P/NZX 50 Index fell 1.2% or 160.4 points to close at 12,905.67.
US President Donald Trump has said that the next discussions between the US and Iran may take place over the weekend, according to a Thursday Reuters report.
In domestic news, New Zealand's electronic card spending rose 1.3% month over month to NZ$9.85 billion in March on a seasonally-adjusted basis, matching the 1.3% increase recorded in the previous month, according to data from Stats NZ.
Also, the average asking price for a property in Christchurch in March held steady over the past three years and remained lower than other main centers in New Zealand, data from realestate.co.nz showed.
Further, petrol and diesel prices in New Zealand increased by nearly 19% and 43%, respectively, in March compared with the previous month, according to a Stats NZ selected price index report.
Meanwhile, annual inflation in New Zealand is expected to slow by 0.2 percentage points in the March quarter to 2.9%, slightly higher than the previous forecast of 2.8% but slightly lower than the Reserve Bank of New Zealand's (RBNZ) April forecast of 3%, ANZ Research said in a note.
In corporate news, New Zealand King Salmon Investments (NZE:NZK, ASX:NZK) upgraded its fiscal 2026 guidance, now expecting pro-forma earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization of NZ$19 million to NZ$27 million, up from NZ$9 million to NZ$15 million.
Contact Energy (NZE:CEN, ASX:CEN) has applied to quote about 5 million ordinary shares issued in connection with its acquisition of an additional stake in King Country Energy.