Mainfreight, China optimism drive stocks higher

For the 2024 year, Mainfreight reported pretax earnings of $395m, and revenue of $4.7b. (Image: Supplied)

Fri, 02 May 2025

Optimism that there may soon be a solution to the US-China trade impasse helped drive the New Zealand sharemarket higher, along with others around the region.The benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index ended at 12,327.89, up 179.29 points or 1.48%, and building on Thursday’s 2% gain.There were 78 rises and 52 falls among the 41.1 million shares worth $145.7m traded.The standout performer on the day was logistics firm Mainfreight, which gained $6.84 or 12.4% to end at $62.01 after a positive earnings update.According to news reports from Hong Kong,...

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