The NZX 50 slipped 20 points or 0.2% to 13,325 in early trade on Tuesday, swinging from the previous session’s gains amid weakness in electronic tech and process industries. Sentiment turned cautious after China, New Zealand’s largest trading partner, reported its slowest annual growth in a year for Q3 2025, weighed by ongoing trade tensions with the U.S., a prolonged property downturn, and sluggish consumer demand. On the trade front, New Zealand posted its third consecutive monthly trade deficit in September, marking the largest shortfall in the sequence as imports were higher than exports. Losses were offset by a rally on Wall Street Monday, supported by optimism over the U.S. avoiding a government shutdown, progress in U.S.-China trade talks, and anticipation of major corporate earnings. Mercury NZ Ltd. (-1.6%) led the losses, followed by Winton Land Ltd. (-1.4%), A2 Milk Co. (-1.2%), and Napier Port Holdings (-0.9%).