New Zealand shares ended flat on Tuesday as most Asian markets saw gains after the latest US inflation data lowered expectations of a Federal Reserve rate hike.
The S&P/NZX 50 Index was little changed to close at 13,635.07.
The US consumer price index declined 0.4% in June, its first monthly drop since May 2020 and the largest decline since April 2020, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Tuesday. The consensus in a Bloomberg-compiled survey was for the index to move down by 0.1%.
In domestic news, New Zealand's electronic card spending fell 1.2% month over month to NZ$9.71 billion in June on a seasonally-adjusted basis, compared with the 1.9% increase recorded in the previous month, according to data from Stats NZ.
Also, a total of 3,083 metric tonnes (MT) of products were sold during the Global Dairy Trade (GDT) Pulse auction held Tuesday, with supply ranging from 2,700 MT to 3,150 MT, according to data from the trading platform.
Meanwhile, New Zealand's national median house price rose 0.7% to NZ$770,000 in June compared with June 2025, while national sales count fell 2.9% to 5,996, according to a report by the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand
Further, the number of motor vehicles currently licensed in New Zealand in June reached 4.6 million, slightly higher than a year ago, according to a report released by Stats NZ
Moreover, a survey conducted early this month showed that 60% of New Zealanders are still concerned about the impact of the Middle East conflict on their finances despite lower fuel prices, Westpac NZ said.
In corporate news, Air New Zealand (NZE:AIR, ASX:AIZ) lost the top company spot on the Sharesies bundle for the first time since the index launched in 2023.
Channel Infrastructure (ASX:CHI, NZE:CHI) said its fuel throughput for the June quarter fell 2% from a year earlier to 802 million liters amid higher fuel prices due to the Middle East conflict.