United States markets rebounded after the sudden emergence of Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek sent shock waves through Wall Street the day before.
There were concerns the low-cost Chinese AI model could challenge American companies’ dominance in the sector and the lofty valuations that have powered the bull market over the past two years.
The technology-driven Nasdaq Composite recovered 2.03% to 19,733.59 points after falling 3.07% the day before. Chip maker Nvidia was up 8.82% to US$128.86, making up more than half of the lost ground the day before.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.31% to 44,850.35 points, and S&P 500 increased 0.92% to 6067.7.
Across the Tasman, the S&P/ASX 200 Index had gained 0.67% to 8455.5 points (at 6pm NZ time) after inflation fell to 3.2%, from 3.5% in the September quarter and lower than the Reserve Bank’s forecast of 3.4% for the 12 months ending December.
Lister said the door is open for the Reserve Bank to cut interest rates next month. “Australia has had stubborn inflation and hasn’t yet had a rate cut – this could be an important turning point for the Australian economy.”
The Australian central bank meets on February 18, a day before the New Zealand Reserve Bank delivers its latest monetary policy statement which is expected to contain a 50-basis-points cut in the Official Cash Rate, currently at 4.25%.
The Australian cash rate has been sitting at 4.35% for more than a year.
The US Federal Reserve, meeting overnight, is expected to keep its short-term rates in the current range of 4.25-4.5%.
Lister said the US economy is going strong with consumers still spending and companies still generating good profits – all the more reason for pausing interest rate cuts.
At home, Auckland International Airport gained 13c to $8.82; Ebos Group was up 20c to $38.20; Mainfreight increased 90c to $72.20; Spark added 5c to $2.94; ANZ Bank added 38c to $33.90; Westpac Bank collected 47c to $37.17; and Port of Tauranga was up 12c or 1.89% to $6.46.
PGG Wrightson rose 16c or 9.41% to $1.86; Channel Infrastructure increased 5c or 2.62% to $1.96; Santana Minerals gained 3c or 5.83% to 54.5c; and Livestock Improvement Corporation added 5c or 5% to $1.05 after increasing half-year net profit 34.8% to $39.1m.
Millennium and Copthorne Hotels NZ gained 5c or 2.26% to $2.26; CDL Investments was up 1.5c or 1.92% to 79.5c; Allied Farmers increased 3c or 3.95% to 79c; and T&G Global added 4c or 2.56% to $1.60.
In the energy sector, Mercury increased 11c or 1.83% to $6.13; Meridian was up 7c to $5.85; and Manawa was down 10c or 1.75% to $5.61.
Briscoe Group declined 13c or 2.71% to $4.66; Michael Hill shed 1c or 1.75% to 56c; KMD Brands was also down 1c or 2.38% to 41c; and Sky TV fell 14c or 4.76% to $2.80 as some customers complain about the satellite service and waiting time for technical assistance.
Infratil was down 17c to $11.03; a2 Milk eased 12c or 1.85% to $6.37; Green Cross Health decreased 2c or 2.6% to 75c; Ventia Services declined 17c or 3.89% to $4.20; and Serko shed 7c or 1.84% to $3.73.
TruScreen Group, unchanged at 2.8c, has appointed PT Mawar Mitra Medika to distribute its AI-enabled cervical cancer screening system in Indonesia, with an addressable market of 95 million women.
The company said an estimated 37,000 women are diagnosed with and 21,000 die from cervical cancer each year in Indonesia, yet only 11% of women have ever been screened for cervical cancer.
New Talisman Gold Mines increased 1.3c or 39.39% to 4.6c after taking delivery of the gravity processing plant’s first containers from Canada, with a view to beginning production at its Karangahake Gorge mine during the first three months of this year.
The Hauraki District Council has approved a revised Works Access Permit for the Talisman Mine access road.
