MARKET CLOSE NZ shares snap 5-day slide; Fletcher, Contact rise

MARKET CLOSE NZ shares snap 5-day slide; Fletcher, Contact rise
Oct. 31 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand shares rose, snapping five days of decline, as stronger housing data helped lift Fletcher Building and Contact Energy advanced. Skellerup Group fell after revising its guidance. The NZX 50 Index gained 16.59 points, or 0.4 percent, to 3957.87. Within the index, 26 stocks rose, 16 fell and eight were unchanged. Turnover was about $133 million. Fletcher rose 1.7 percent to $7.04, having dipped below $6 yesterday. Building consents rose 7.8 percent in September, the fourth straight gain and biggest growth si...