New Zealand stocks edged up 17 points or 0.12% to 12,851 on Friday morning, extending gains for the third straight session as traders assessed fresh data. July manufacturing activity grew for the first time in three months, with output and new orders expanding at the fastest pace since 2022. Meanwhile, food inflation hit a near two-year high of 5.0% and visitor arrivals in June rose 0.8% year-on-year, the weakest in 11 months. US futures also advanced, attempting to shake off faster wholesale inflation. Logistics and communications led early gains, with Winton Land (2.5%), Restaurant Brands NZ (2.0%), and Skellerup Holdings (1.9%) among top movers. For the week, the NZX 50 was little changed after strong prior-period gains. Investors now await July economic data from China, including industrial output and retail sales, and next week’s RBNZ decision, with markets pricing in a 25bps cut and another later this year or early 2026.