The NZX 50 rose 14 points, or 0.1%, to 13,678 in Wednesday morning trade, after hitting its highest level since late November in the previous session, tracking an upbeat session on Wall Street overnight amid expectations of multiple Fed rate cuts. Optimism is also supported by market confidence that the capture of Venezuelan President Maduro will not have a long-term impact on geopolitical conditions. A statement from the PBOC also lifted sentiment, as it said it will cut the reserve requirement ratio and interest rates in 2026. Energy, tech stocks, and healthcare mainly drove the index. However, traders anticipated the release of US jobs data to guide the Fed’s monetary policy, as well as consumer and producer price data from China later this week, which will help guide the outlook for the Chinese economy, New Zealand’s top trading partner. Among early gainers were Gentrack Group (1.3%), Brisco Group (1.0%), Westpac Banking Corp (0.8%), ANZ Group (0.6%), and Fisher & Paykel (0.3%).