NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Business / Markets

NZ shares slump as investors flee for safe havens

BusinessDesk
9 Mar, 2020 05:04 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Stock markets across Asia were pummelled after oil prices collapsed

Stock markets across Asia were pummelled after oil prices collapsed

The S&P/NZX 50 Index dropped almost 3 per cent as investors fled the local stock market for safe havens leaving dividends behind, after oil prices collapsed following the OPEC meeting on Friday.

The benchmark index decreased 334.09 points, or 2.9 per cent, to 11,091.81. Within the index, 46 stocks fell, two rose, and two were unchanged. Turnover was $241.8 million.

Stock markets across Asia were pummelled today as investors reacted to the news that Russia and OPEC had failed to agree to oil production cuts, leading to the oil price to drop by as much as 20 per cent.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index had its worst opening since the 2008 global financial crisis and was trading down 6.2 per cent in afternoon trading. Japan's TOPIX index fell 5.2 per cent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng was down 3.5 per cent and Shanghai's SSEC decreased 2.4 per cent.

The local NZX50 outperformed most of the region, although it still fell aggressively as investors fled to bonds, term deposits and gold - assets that are typically held at heightened times of uncertainty.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Peter McIntyre, an investment adviser at Craigs Investment Partners, said many stocks were being sold off despite having a dividend payment still attached.

"Investors are just wanting to sit on the side-lines and rather than receive the income they'd rather have that cash just sitting in a safe haven," he said.

Despite the panic seen on global markets, McIntyre said New Zealand had held up to the oil price shock comparatively well.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We haven't got many resource stocks or oil related stocks on our exchange, but we are also a low-beta market. So, we don't tend to rush as high, or go down as far."

Pushpay Holdings led the market lower, falling 9.3 per cent to $3.61 as investors sought to reduce the risk in their portfolios.

"It's a high growth, high risk stock, and generally those are the first ones who get sold off when we see this type of capitulation," McIntyre said.

New Zealand energy stocks were also weaker. Genesis Energy, which owns interests in the Kupe oil and gas field, was the hardest hit, down 7.5 per cent at $2.90, despite holding a dividend pay-out this month.

Meridian Energy, the country's biggest generator, fell 6 per cent to $4.40, Mercury NZ was down 3.2 per cent at $4.645 and Contact Energy fell 4.8 per cent to $6.50.

Fuel-retailer Z Energy declined 0.3 per cent to $4.06, likely buoyed by the assumption that lower oil prices would lead to higher levels of fuel consumption, McIntyre said.

New Zealand's only oil refinery, which is part-owned by Z Energy, New Zealand Refining Company dropped 6.3 per cent to $1.05.

Air New Zealand declined 5.3 per cent to $1.95, a four-year low, after it dropped its earnings guidance saying demand for air travel had softened further in the last week, causing it to reduce total capacity into Asia by 26 per cent and overall network capacity by approximately 10 per cent since the outbreak began.

Auckland International Airport fell 2.4 per cent to $7.70.

Precinct Properties New Zealand was one of just two stocks to gain on the day, climbing 1.6 per cent to $26.77. Today the stock was announced to be included in a global real estate index, alongside Goodman Property Trust which was added on Friday.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

McIntyre said investors tend to rotate through the property stocks, but Precinct was one favoured by investors as it pays dividends through funds from its operations rather than through debt.

Other property stocks fell as investors rotated their holdings into Precinct.

Argosy Property fell 5.7 per cent to $1.315, another stock that has been sold-off despite holding a dividend until tomorrow.

"If you want to lighten your positions on a day like this you are going to have to accept a lower price and we are seeing some selling pressure on Argosy today."

Property for Industry fell 4.4 per cent to $2.41, Stride Property declined 3.2 per cent to $2.15, Goodman Property Trust decreased 1 per cent to $2.405 and Kiwi Property Group held at $1.465.

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare posted the day's biggest gain, climbing 4.2 per cent to $26.77. The company derives half its income in US dollars, which means when the kiwi dollar is weaker its export receipts are larger. The New Zealand dollar dropped about a US cent from Friday's close in New York.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Markets

Premium
Shares

Market close: SkyCity loses spot on the 20

10 Jun 05:56 AM
Premium
Technology

Tech Insider: A $529 phone, bought in March, can only make 3G calls; IRD’s AI warning; Musk’s pain is Beck’s gain; a self-employed Wellington man scores a $16K Google Cloud refund

10 Jun 03:14 AM
Premium
Shares

Market close: Index reshuffle lifts Briscoe Group

09 Jun 05:57 AM

Why Cambridge is the new home of future-focused design

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Markets

Premium
Market close: SkyCity loses spot on the 20

Market close: SkyCity loses spot on the 20

10 Jun 05:56 AM

Scales Corporation shares are up after it upgraded guidance.

Premium
Tech Insider: A $529 phone, bought in March, can only make 3G calls; IRD’s AI warning; Musk’s pain is Beck’s gain; a self-employed Wellington man scores a $16K Google Cloud refund

Tech Insider: A $529 phone, bought in March, can only make 3G calls; IRD’s AI warning; Musk’s pain is Beck’s gain; a self-employed Wellington man scores a $16K Google Cloud refund

10 Jun 03:14 AM
Premium
Market close: Index reshuffle lifts Briscoe Group

Market close: Index reshuffle lifts Briscoe Group

09 Jun 05:57 AM
Premium
NZ's power system well-placed for winter - analyst

NZ's power system well-placed for winter - analyst

08 Jun 11:00 PM
Clean water fuelling Pacific futures
sponsored

Clean water fuelling Pacific futures

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP