How to Trade or Invest in the NZX
Our NZX guide explains everything you need to know about the NZX, including ways to invest, trade and useful resources to help you decide what to buy.
Updated 4 August 2024
The New Zealand Stock Exchange (NZX) is the largest sharemarket by market capitalisation in New Zealand. In this guide we look at how you can invest or trade in the NZX using shares, funds and ETFs. We also explain what moves the NZX50 and highlight recent company bankruptcies to help you avoid investing in a failing company.
In this guide we explain:
The New Zealand Stock Exchange (NZX) is the largest sharemarket by market capitalisation in New Zealand. In this guide we look at how you can invest or trade in the NZX using shares, funds and ETFs. We also explain what moves the NZX50 and highlight recent company bankruptcies to help you avoid investing in a failing company.
In this guide we explain:
- Trading vs Investing
- How to Trade on the NZX
- How to Invest on the NZX
- What Moves the NZX Index?
- How to Invest or Trade on the NZX
- Five Failed NZX Companies (and what you can learn from them to avoid making the same mistakes)
Trading vs Investing
Know this first: Trading vs Investing are very different things. Both involve buying and selling shares, but the strategies are different:
Understanding investing
Understand trading
Understanding investing
- When you invest, you are taking a long-term position. For example, if you bought 10,000 shares in A2 in 2010, you would have paid around $1,000 (as the shares were 10 cents each). If you sold these shares in 2020, you would have earned around $200,000 (as the shares traded as high as $20). Investing is all about medium to long-term strategy.
- You don’t have to buy individual shares to invest – the NZX has plenty of Exchange Traded Funds (EFTs), known as Smartshares, which invest in other NZX companies just as an index fund does.
Understand trading
- When you trade, the timeframe is much shorter. For example, you may buy 100 A2 Milk shares today for $20.00 and sell them tomorrow for $21.00, making a $100 profit. Or, you could buy and sell shares in the same day.
Table 1 - Trading vs Investing on the NZX
Trading or Investing? |
Trading on the NZX |
Investing on the NZX |
Ways to trade or invest: |
Buying shares |
Buying ETFs or shares |
Market hours: |
10:00am - 4:45pm, Monday to Friday |
10:00am - 4:45pm, Monday to Friday |
Money required: |
100% of trade size |
100% of investment value |
Trading fees (to buy and sell a share): |
Varies based on trade value |
Varies based on investment value |
Time frame: |
Shorter term |
Longer term |
Liquidity: |
Depends on the share traded |
Depends on the share investment |
​Trading on the NZX
The NZX isn’t like an established world market, such as the Dow Jones or FTSE. Because of the small size of the NZX there is less liquidity and this means there are less options to trade. Also although legal in New Zealand, there is no shorting companies (i.e. borrowing shares from institutions for a fee then selling them on the NZX and betting that the share price will be lower in the future when they are bought back). Nor are there financial derivatives such as spread bets and credit default swaps. The NZX is, by comparison, much more straightforward.
Let's take an example. If you want to trade in Westpac, you buy and sell shares in Westpac. There are no Westpac short selling, CFDs or spread betting. Any trading is done between 10:00am - 4:45pm Monday to Friday. You’ll need to pay for your trade upfront – for example, if you want to buy $2,000 of shares in A2 Milk, you will need to pay first. Some brokerage firms, such as ASB Securities offer margin lending which lets you borrow money to buy shares – this can be risky if the value of the shares fall.
Let's take an example. If you want to trade in Westpac, you buy and sell shares in Westpac. There are no Westpac short selling, CFDs or spread betting. Any trading is done between 10:00am - 4:45pm Monday to Friday. You’ll need to pay for your trade upfront – for example, if you want to buy $2,000 of shares in A2 Milk, you will need to pay first. Some brokerage firms, such as ASB Securities offer margin lending which lets you borrow money to buy shares – this can be risky if the value of the shares fall.
​Investing in the NZX
If you want to invest on the NZX you can do so by:
Whatever you invest in, the aim is to hold your shares until they rise in value to a level you determine is profitable. If you invest into shares or ETFs which are income-producing, you’ll receive dividends from time to time as the company returns profits to its owners. To invest in shares, you’ll need to pay upfront for the value of the purchase.
- Buying any share listed on the NZX (for example, Air New Zealand, The Warehouse Group or A2 Milk)
- Invest in an ETF which tracks the NZX (for example, an NZX50 ETF which follows the value of the NZX50 - the top 50 New Zealand companies by market capitalisation)
- Buy into a managed fund which invests in the NZX (such as a NZX50-specific investment fund) and/or invest in a NZX-focused KiwiSaver fund
- You can also invest in NZX Ltd, the company which operates the New Zealand share market, as it’s also a listed a company. Such an investment does not give you exposure to companies like an ETF or managed fund would.
Whatever you invest in, the aim is to hold your shares until they rise in value to a level you determine is profitable. If you invest into shares or ETFs which are income-producing, you’ll receive dividends from time to time as the company returns profits to its owners. To invest in shares, you’ll need to pay upfront for the value of the purchase.
​Ways to invest on the NZX - Our Step-by-Step guide
With the NZX being free of derivatives and anything related to exotic trading, NZX ‘trading’ is limited to buying and selling shares in individual companies. For that reason, most individuals, financial institutions and actively managed KiwiSaver funds use the NZX to invest. There are four ways to do this:
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Investing in SharesInvesting in shares listed on the NZX is the most common way to get exposure to the NZX. This requires you to decide what to invest in, and once you’ve purchased the shares, you receive an equity stake (i.e. ownership) in the company and have exposure to the index. When you invest in shares directly, you’ll effectively receive an ownership stake in the company – how much you own depends on how much you invest. NZX50 shares are the most popular on the NZX because they include the largest and most recognised companies.
How to invest in shares? Sharesies, for example, is one of the most popular platforms for investing on the NZX. ASB Securities and Jarden Direct also offer online trading. |
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​ETFsWhen you invest in an NZX ETF, you’re effectively purchasing a financial product that tracks the performance of a specific NZX index. ETFs come in all forms, and are comprised of individual shares that are listed on the NZX – they aim to track the price performance of the index. For example, Smartshares offers three NZX-tracking ETFs:
How to invest in an ETF? All NZX ETFs can be bought directly on the NZX using a brokerage platform (such as Sharesies, ASB Securities and Jarden Direct), using an investment platform (such as InvestNow), or by going directly to a sharebroker such as Forsyth Barr and Craigs Investment Partners. |
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Managed ​FundsMany different investment companies offer NZX-specific funds. Like ETFs, NZX funds invest in a specific number of shares that are listed on the NZX. Unlike when you buy NZX shares using a broker service, funds can be purchased directly with the investment manager or using an investing platform like InvestNow or Kernel Wealth. Simplicity Investment Funds offers the cheapest NZX50 index fund available with a 0.10% annual fee.
How to invest in a managed fund? NZX-focused managed funds are available from investing platforms and funds such as InvestNow, Kernel Wealth or Simplicity Investment Fund. |
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KiwiSaverMost KiwiSaver funds invest in the NZX, but the proportions vary between funds and schemes. For example, some funds invest 50% of your money in the NZX50 while others will invest 20%. However, we don't believe choosing your KiwiSaver fund around the underlying assets is a good idea. Instead, assessing your risk profile, retirement needs and short-term and long-term plans is a better idea.
How to invest in KiwiSaver? We suggest reading our favourite KiwiSaver funds to get further information. |
​What moves the NZX index's value?
Day after day, the NZX50 moves up and down, driven by changes in each company’s share price. The value of individual companies’ shares will have an effect on the value of the NZX50 because it is a price-weighted index. Shares that increase in value will increase the value of the NZX50 proportionately to their value in the market. For example, a 2% rise in the value of A2 Milk (a large NZX50 company) will have a greater effect on the NZX50 than a 2% rise in Argosy Property Ltd (a smaller NZX50 company).
There are a number of factors which move each company’s share price, including:
Economic events
Economic events such as the COVID-19 fallout have a direct effect on the profitability of each company. Some will be winners, for example Fisher & Paykel Healthcare (which makes ventilators) and A2 Milk (which produces food products). Some will be losers, like Air New Zealand and Tourism Holdings, which rely on foreign visitors.
Press releases
Investor announcements from companies will move share prices, such as NZME (owner of the NZHerald and radio stations) laying off hundreds of staff, or The Warehouse Group closing stores. If it’s good news, share prices generally go up, and vice versa.
Earnings results
Every six months, every company listed on the NZX has to publish financial results. If profits are down and/or the future looks bleak for the company, then the share price will usually fall. It’s all about expectations – generally, companies that are doing well and continue to sustainably grow will be favoured (and see increasing share prices). Those that underperform and don’t deliver on what they promise will have decreasing share prices.
Interest rates
If the Reserve Bank of New Zealand lowers interest rates, this is generally good for business who can borrow money at a cheaper rate. This means businesses can invest more in their future and grow, which usually means higher profits. For these reasons, lower interest rates leads to higher share prices.
There are a number of factors which move each company’s share price, including:
Economic events
Economic events such as the COVID-19 fallout have a direct effect on the profitability of each company. Some will be winners, for example Fisher & Paykel Healthcare (which makes ventilators) and A2 Milk (which produces food products). Some will be losers, like Air New Zealand and Tourism Holdings, which rely on foreign visitors.
Press releases
Investor announcements from companies will move share prices, such as NZME (owner of the NZHerald and radio stations) laying off hundreds of staff, or The Warehouse Group closing stores. If it’s good news, share prices generally go up, and vice versa.
Earnings results
Every six months, every company listed on the NZX has to publish financial results. If profits are down and/or the future looks bleak for the company, then the share price will usually fall. It’s all about expectations – generally, companies that are doing well and continue to sustainably grow will be favoured (and see increasing share prices). Those that underperform and don’t deliver on what they promise will have decreasing share prices.
Interest rates
If the Reserve Bank of New Zealand lowers interest rates, this is generally good for business who can borrow money at a cheaper rate. This means businesses can invest more in their future and grow, which usually means higher profits. For these reasons, lower interest rates leads to higher share prices.
Next Steps: How to trade and invest in the NZX?
There are many ways to access the NZX, and with platforms like Sharesies, InvestNow and Simplicity, it has never been cheaper. MoneyHub doesn’t offer financial advice in any form, so the best resources to learn about individual companies listed on the NZX include:
- BusinessDesk.co.nz (free to subscribe to emails with a detailed daily distribution of the day’s top business stories)
- NBR.co.nz (a paid site, with insightful reporting on NZ companies)
- Interest.co.nz (more focused on property, this free-to-read publication is useful for background)
- Sharechat.co.nz (a forum discussing companies listed on the NZX).
Five Failed NZX Companies (and what you can learn from them to avoid making the same mistakes)
New Zealand has had its fair share of failed shares that were once regarded as innovative, must-invest companies. We outline five recent disasters and summarise why they failed. Generally, it’s wise to never believe what a company is promising until they have a proven track record. But as is shown below, companies fail for many different reasons. Also, many don’t fail but see their share price fall from $1 or $2 to 10 cents, and stay that way forever. Investing isn’t without its risks, and for that reason never invest more than you can afford to lose.
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​Pumpkin PatchThe popular children’s clothing retailer went bust in 2016; it borrowed too much money to fund a huge overseas store expansion even though it was profitable (but instead of retaining cash it paid out most of its profits by way of dividends to the owners). When the overseas expansion didn’t go to plan, the company was too broke to manage itself out of the problem.
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FeltexFeltex collapsed less than two years after listing on the NZX after decreasing profitability and hard-to-understand financial statements sucked in mum and dad-type investors into this under capitalised company. In effect, the company had too much debt, became loss making and run out of money.
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Wynyard GroupThis software consultancy talked a big game but failed to deliver revenue growth and continually made big losses until it ran out of money when it couldn’t raise any more. Generally, if a loss-making company can't borrow any more money or get anyone to invest, it is either bought for a very low price or goes bust.
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Snakk MediaThe small advertising company was hyped up as something it wasn’t (useful, profitable, relevant), and after the investor money ran out to cover losses it closed its doors in 2019.
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CBL InsuranceCBL was an insurer listed on the NZX. It was worth $747 million at one stage, but It failed. The high-profile insurer was applauded in the media but quickly came unstuck when overseas insurance payments ended in allegations of fraud.
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