Contact Energy leads NZ market down

The New Zealand sharemarket was weak but Air NZ rose on strong operating statistics for November, and Michael Hill rose as the family owner clarified plans to up its stake.

The benchmark NZX-50 index closed down 25.16 points, or 0.76 per cent, at 3299.96, which was near where it started the day. The US market was flat on Friday, but tensions on the Korean peninsula kept traders wary in Asia and trading is thin ahead of the holiday season in some markets.

Contact Energy fell 10c to 614, giving up some of the gains it made last week. The rain across the country was likely to bring wholesale electricity prices down, said Hamilton Hindin Greene director Grant Williamson.

Rural stocks were mixed, with PGG Wrightson up 3c to 47 but Allied Farmers was unchanged at 2c.

Shares in Michael Hill International (MHI) rose 2c to 86 after Durante Holdings, set up to consolidate the holdings of shares held by the Hill family through family trusts, said it is offering 90c per share to buy 5 per cent of the shares it does not already own. That would see it buying 10m shares and take its holding to 50.2 per cent.

Mr Williamson said investors accepting the offer may be scaled back but the move showed confidence in the business from the family owner.

Air NZ rose 2c to 149 after reporting an 11 per cent rise in passenger numbers in November from the same month a year ago. The share price is at its highest level since 2008.

Mr Williamson said some companies with businesses offshore, performed well because of a weaker NZ dollar.

Mainfreight, which has significant offshore operations, rose 15c to 802 and Nuplex rose 11c to 352.

Fletcher Building was unchanged at 773 on a day Crane Group directors rejected its offer. Telecom lost 2c to 221.

OceanaGold rose 25c to 505 and NZ Refining rose another 3c to 445.

The Warehouse rose 2c to 358 and Methven rose 2c to 169. Tourism Holdings rose 1c to 79 and Auckland Airport rose 2c to 113.

Fisher & Paykel Appliances fell 1c to 51 and NZOG fell 2c to 84.

In the United States, stocks ended flat on Friday (local time) as investors shrugged off encouraging economic signs and a tax-cut package expected to lift economic growth. Trading ended shortly before President Barack Obama signed a tax bill into law.

The US$850 billion package extends Bush-era tax cuts for another two years and expiring unemployment benefits through next year.

In a hopeful sign for the economy, the Conference Board said its index of leading economic indicators rose 1.1 per cent in November, the fastest pace since March. The index - which tracks data such as orders for new goods and materials - rose 0.4 per cent in October.

Stocks wavered in a tight range Friday, a day after major indexes hit two-year highs.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 0.1 per cent to close at 11,491.91, the broader S&P 500 eked out another 2010 high rising 0.1 per cent to close at 1243.91, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.2 per cent to 2642.97.

- NZPA