Market close: Shares close flat

Thursday 21st August 2008

The sharemarket remained virtually unchanged today with the NZSE50 up just 0.03 points to end the day at 3,332.

Top stock Telecom slipped 0.3%, while Contact Energy closed unchanged and Fletcher Building gained 1.9%.

Among retailers, Michael Hill rose 1.1% and The Warehouse Group advanced 1.2%. Hallenstein Glasson lost 0.4% and Pumpkin Patch closed unchanged.

Stocks on the rise included Botry-Zen up 33.33%, Postie Plus Group was up 5.41%, Pyne Gould Corporation 4.41%, Wellington Drive Technologies 2.94%. Auckland International Airport was up 1.5%, AMP NZ Office Trust, Port of Tauranga and Ebos Group 1.0% each,

Losers today included Viking Capital down 30%, L & M Petroleum 12.50%, ProvencoCadmus 5.26%, Tag Pacific 4.76% and Rakon fell 1.3%. SkyCity lost 1.7%, Guinness Peat Group plunged 2.0%, Freightways dropped 1.5%, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare shed 1.4%

Banks were down with ANZ losing 2.28% and WBC down 1.33%.

The nation's only oil refinery, New Zealand Refining Co, jumped 2.6% after it posted a 9.8% drop in first half profit as it was forced to pay more for electricity.

Mainfreight Group, was unchanged today after announcing a 41% gain in quarterly earnings as it won market share in New Zealand and benefited from growth in the US market.

The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 54.3 points, or 1.1%, to 4875.2, while the broader All Ordinaries lost 47.9 points, or 0.96%, to 4949.6.

US stocks had a moderate gain overnight with the Dow Jones industrial average rising 68.88 points, or 0.61%, to 11,417.43.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 7.85, or 0.62%, to 1,274.54, while the Nasdaq composite index rose 4.72, or 0.20%, to 2,389.08.

NZ Top 50	3,332.055	+0.030 (0.00%)
ASX 200	4,875.200	-54.300 (-1.10%)
Dow	11,417.43	+68.88 (+0.61%)
Nasdaq	2,389.08	+4.72 (+0.20%)
FTSE 100	5,371.80	+51.40 (+0.97%)

AIA	2.01	+0.03
AIR	1.25	-0.01
AMP	7.85	-0.10
ANZ	19.25	-0.45
APN	3.86	0.00
APT	1.06	+0.01
CAV	2.65	+0.05
CEN	8.60	0.00
EBO	4.85	+0.05
FBU	7.16	+0.13
FPA	1.87	-0.01
FPH	2.92	-0.04
FRE	3.25	-0.05
GFF	1.83	0.00
GMT	1.15	-0.01
GPG	1.50	-0.03
HLG	2.84	-0.01
IFT	2.22	0.00
IMP	1.09	+0.01
ING	0.80	+0.01
KIP	1.11	-0.01
LNN	10.60	0.00
MFT	7.12	0.00
MHI	0.91	+0.01
MVN	1.68	0.00
NPX	6.25	-0.01
NZO	1.46	+0.01
NZR	7.20	+0.20
NZS	1.60	0.00
NZX	7.60	-0.05
PFI	1.17	+0.01
PGW	2.94	-0.01
POT	7.05	+0.07
PPL	1.60	0.00
PRC	1.78	+0.01
RAK	3.02	-0.04
RYM	1.75	+0.02
SAN	6.00	0.00
SKC	3.44	-0.06
SKL	0.99	+0.02
SKT	4.93	0.00
STU	3.35	0.00
TEL	3.28	-0.01
THL	1.44	+0.03
TLS	5.28	0.00
TPW	7.96	+0.06
TWR	2.31	+0.01
VCT	2.28	0.00
WBC	26.80	-0.36
WHS	3.49	+0.04

Comments from our readers

No comments yet