New Zealand shares slipped 24 points, or 0.2%, to 13,479 in early Wednesday trade, wiping out the prior session’s gains as weakness in energy minerals and electronic tech weighed on sentiment. Caution dominated ahead of the delayed September U.S. PCE report, with attention turning to next week’s Federal Reserve rate decision. Adding to the cautious mood, U.S. consumer confidence in November fell to its lowest level since April, due to growing pessimism about the economic outlook, particularly the labor market and persistent high costs. Still, losses were partly limited after the first public appearance of new RBNZ Governor Anna Breman, who emphasized greater transparency and a commitment to low and stable inflation. She also noted plans to discuss with the Monetary Policy Committee the possibility of publicly releasing individual voting decisions. Among notable decliners were Delegat Group (-2.2%), Gentrack Group (-2.0%), Freightways Group (-1.5%), and Spark NZ (-1.3%).