The NZX 50 climbed 43 points, or 0.3%, to 13,445 in morning trade on Wednesday, gaining for the fourth straight session. The index tracked a rally on Wall Street on Tuesday, buoyed by strong corporate earnings, ongoing AI enthusiasm, and expectations of Fed interest rate cuts today. The broader index hit its highest level in over two weeks, mainly driven by materials, healthcare, tech stocks, and consumer staples. Hopes for a potential US–China trade deal also supported market sentiment. Traders await a speech from the RBNZ Director of Financial Markets relating to the transmission of monetary policy to financial conditions. Investors also anticipated the release of New Zealand business confidence data for October, as well as PMI figures from New Zealand's top trading partner, China, later this week. Among early gainers were Ebos Group (2.1%), A2 Milk (1.0%), Fisher & Paykel Healthcare (0.7%), Mainfreight (0.7%), and Infratil (0.6%).