The S&P/NZX 50 index edged up 0.1% to close at 13,518 on Tuesday, e a two-day gain, as investors engaged in year-end positioning ahead of the Christmas holiday break. Trading remained light amid shortened holiday hours and a lack of strong market catalysts. New Zealand markets will close early on Christmas Eve and remain shut on December 25 and 26. Across the bourse, strength in financials helped offset weakness in non-energy minerals. Westpac Banking led gains in the financial sector, rising 2.3%, while peer ANZ Group added 1.7%. Buying interest was also evident in Fonterra (+1.4%), Synlait Milk (+5.7%), Chorus (+2.1%), and Ventia Services (+2.1%). These advances were partly countered by declines in non-energy minerals, led by Fletcher Building, which fell 3%. Other underperformers included T&G Global (-5.1%), Contact Energy (-2%), and Winton (-1.4%). For the year, the benchmark index remains on track for an annual gain of over 3% in 2025.