The NZX 50 edged down 13 points, or 0.1%, to 13,564 in early trade on Friday, slipping for a second session and retreating from record highs after a sharp sell-off on Wall Street Thursday due to renewed weakness in tech shares and a soft U.S. labor market. Sentiment was also weighed by concerns over a prolonged U.S. government shutdown, now the longest in history. Investors turned cautious ahead of key data in China, New Zealand's largest trading partner, including October trade and CPI/PPI figures, due later in the day. Losses in logistics, energy minerals, and industrial services rattled the benchmark index, with notable decliners including Briscoe Group (-2.6%), Sanford Ltd. (-2.0%), South Port NZ (-1.8%), and Scott Technology (-1.3%). Still, markets remain on track for their third consecutive weekly advance, supported by expectations of further monetary easing from the RBNZ later this month amid soft Q3 labor data.