MARKET CLOSE NZ stocks rise; Telecom gains ahead of dividend, Chorus climb

MARKET CLOSE NZ stocks rise; Telecom gains ahead of dividend, Chorus climb
By Suze Metherell March 17 (BusinessDesk) – New Zealand stocks gained as investors sought out companies such as Telecom with relatively defensive earnings and reasonable dividend yield. Chorus rose as the network operator’s appeal against the regulator’s pricing methodology began in the Wellington High Court. The NZX 50 Index rose 8.702 points, or about 0.2 percent, to 5088.026. Within the index, 20 stocks rose, 19 fell and 11 were unchanged. Turnover was $136.2 million. Geo-political tensions in Ukraine, where Crimea has voted to rejoin R...