MARKET CLOSE: NZ shares firm as Apple jitters bolster demand for utilities

Fri, 04 Jan 2019

By Paul McBeth Jan. 4 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand shares rose slightly as growing investor unease over the global economy bolstered demand for defensive stocks such as local utilities Meridian Energy and Mercury NZ. The S&P/NZX 50 index increased 11.39 points, or 0.1 percent, to 8,743.76. Despite the increase, within the index, 19 stocks gained against 23 that fell, and eight were unchanged. Turnover was low at $73.4 million. Stocks across Asia were mixed, following a decline on Wall Street after Apple's downgraded sales outlook over...

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