MARKET CLOSE: NZ shares rise, Comvita and Trilogy jump while Xero drops in heavy trading on leaving NZX50

MARKET CLOSE: NZ shares rise, Comvita and Trilogy jump while Xero drops in heavy trading on leaving NZX50
Sophie Boot
By Sophie Boot Dec. 15 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand shares gained in heavy turnover as Xero dropped on leaving the benchmark index, while Comvita and Contact Energy gained. The S&P/NZX50 Index rose 0.4 percent, or 37.11 points, to 8,360.86. Within the index, 36 rose, 11 fell and three were unchanged. Turnover was $426 million.  Comvita was the best performer, up 7.3 percent to $7.99, with Contact Energy gaining 4.5 percent to $5.78 and CBL Corp up 3.6 percent to $3.14. James Smalley, investment advisor at Hamilton Hindin Greene, sai...