KEY POINTS:
The sharemarket started a week with some chunky corporate announcements in it by pushing further into record breaking territory.
The benchmark NZSX-50 index was up 3.612 points in early trading at 4284.038, having set a new record close on Friday.
Fund manager Tower, which reports on Thursday, was up 2c at 244.
Fisher and Paykel Healthcare, which reports its annual profit on Wednesday, was initially untraded, while the appliance stock, which reports on Thursday, was down 1c at 373.
The Warehouse was untraded, with a decision due from the Commerce Commission on Friday as to whether it can be taken over by grocery companies courting it.
Fletcher Building was unchanged at 1249 amid reports that a fire had been contained at the company's Pacific Steel plant in Auckland.
Telecom was unchanged at 484.
Contact Energy was up 3c at 882 and Infratil was up 3c at 685. Freightways was up 2c at 450.
The local market move came after US stocks rose on Friday giving the Dow and the S&P 500 seven straight weeks of gains and pushing the Dow to a record close.
The positive tone was helped by a gauge of consumer sentiment rose more than expected in May.
The S&P 500 came within five points of a record closing high, which it set in March 2000. Both the Dow and the S&P 500 rose for a seventh straight week, their longest winning streaks since late 2003.
The Dow Jones industrial average shot up 79.81 points, or 0.59 per cent, at end at a record 13,556.53. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index gained 10.00 points, or 0.66 per cent, to 1522.75. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 19.07 points, or 0.75 per cent, to 2558.45.
- NZPA