New Zealand stocks climbed 101 points, or 0.8%, to 13,132 in Wednesday’s morning session, snapping a three-day decline amid strength in consumer durables, commercial services, and healthcare. Traders anticipated the RBNZ’s first policy meeting of 2026 later today, with the central bank expected to hold steady at 2.25% and any tightening only in the latter part of the year. Cost pressures also eased, as Q4 data showed producer output prices edged up 0.1% qoq, after the prior 0.6% gain; while input prices fell 0.5%, the first drop in a year. However, gains were capped by Wall Street’s subdued performance Tuesday, ahead of the Fed minutes later today that may reaffirm policy remains restrictive and signal no rush to ease. Meanwhile, heavy rain and strong winds disrupted transport and cut power across New Zealand’s North Island, weighing on select sectors. Early movers included Spark New Zealand (1.4%), Briscoe Group (1.1%), Fisher & Paykel Healthcare (1.0%), and PGG Wrightson (0.9%).