MARKET CLOSE: NZ shares rise as blue-chips Spark, Fletcher recover; top performers A2, NZX fall

MARKET CLOSE: NZ shares rise as blue-chips Spark, Fletcher recover; top performers A2, NZX fall
Sophie Boot
By Sophie Boot Dec. 22 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand shares rose as blue-chip stocks Spark New Zealand and Fletcher Building bounced back from recent dips, while the month's stronger performers, A2 Milk Co and NZX, gave up some of their gains.  The S&P/NZX 50 Index rose 27.15 points, or 0.4 percent, to 6147.97. Within the index, 20 stocks were up, 19 were down and 11 were unchanged. Turnover was $151.7 million. Overnight, Wall Street ended on a positive note with the Nasdaq Composite Index advancing 1 percent, the Standard & Poor's 500...