NZ stocks fall amid ongoing Middle East uncertainty – Market close

BusinessDesk12 Aug, 2026 06:28 AM5 mins to readMainfreight declined $2.59 or 3.72% to $66.95 on light volume of 34,949 shares worth $2.36 million after reaching an intraday low of $66.38.Leading blue-chip stocks, particularly Mainfreight, took a hit as the New Zealand sharemarket fell nearly 1% on continued uncertainty over the Middle East situation. The S&P/NZX 50 Index had a solid morning and reached an intraday high of 13,889.61. However, it steadily dropped in the afternoon and closed at 13,737.66,