All quiet on NZ sharemarket ahead of earnings season

The S&P/NZX 50 index rose 43.1 points, or 0.5 percent, to 9,176.61. Within the index, 24 stocks gained, 20 fell, and six were unchanged. Turnover was $101 million, with eight companies clocking in volumes of more than a million shares.

Matt Goodson, managing director at Salt Funds Management, said Australia's reporting season had been mixed so far, but that it really gets underway on both sides of the Tasman next week.

"It's been reasonably quiet here this week," he said.

Contact Energy is expected to post a record first-half result on Monday by Forsyth Barr analyst Andrew Harvey-Green, driven by strong hydro generation and high wholesale electricity prices. The shares rose for a third day, up 1.1 percent at $6.22 today, the highest close since February 2015. Its volume was lighter than usual at 735,000.