New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index climbed 0.8% to close at 13,439 on Thursday, rebounding from a near four-week low, lifted by gains across most sectors. The local market reflected positive sentiment in other Asian markets, following stronger-than-expected earnings and an upbeat outlook from AI darling Nvidia, which reinforce confidence in the global AI trade. Meanwhile, investors are looking ahead to the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s policy decision next week, with the central bank widely expected to cut rates by 25bps. Key contributors to the rally included heavyweights Infratil (+3.5%), Mercury NZ (+2.1%), Contact Energy (+1.0%), Fisher & Paykel (+1.0%), and Spark NZ (+0.45%). Other notable performers included Kiwi Property (+1.4%), Ryman (+1.4%), Air New Zealand (+0.8%), Argosy Property (+2.0%), and Chorus (+2.5%).