The NZX 50 fell 39 points, or 0.3%, to 13,413 in morning trade on Friday, halting gains from the previous four sessions. Losses in the industrials, consumer staples, tech, and utilities sectors mainly drove the decline. Traders continued to monitor developments surrounding a US government shutdown, while also awaiting the release of the US jobs report later today. Caution was also built ahead of the release of New Zealand’s Business PMI data for September, due next week, following a decline in August. However, expectations that the RBNZ will cut rates by 25 basis points next week helped cap the fall. An upbeat session on Wall Street on Thursday, supported by gains in tech stocks, also prevented the broader index from falling further. Among early decliners were Colonial Motor (-1.9%), Meridian Energy (-1.4%), Auckland International Airport (-1.3%), and A2 Milk (-1.0%). For the week, however, the index is still heading for a 2.1% gain, rebounding after posting losses the previous week.