MARKET CLOSE: NZ shares rise; Kathmandu soars on Briscoe takeover; MRP, Contact advance

MARKET CLOSE: NZ shares rise; Kathmandu soars on Briscoe takeover; MRP, Contact advance
By Suze Metherell June 30 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand shares rose, led by Kathmandu Holdings after Briscoe Group flagged takeover plans. MightyRiverPower and Contact Energy advanced as investors bought defensive stocks. The S&P/NZX 50 Index rose 21.15 points, or 0.4 percent, to 5726.96. Within the index, 23 stocks rose, 15 fell and 12 were unchanged. Turnover was $198 million, with $58 million of that made up of Kathmandu shares.  Kathmandu soared 26 percent to $1.75, paring an intraday climb to a four-month high of $1.80 after Brisco...