New Zealand stocks dropped 66 points, or 0.5%, to 13,851 in Tuesday morning deals, halting gains in the previous session and tracking a decline on Wall Street overnight as rising oil prices raised inflation concerns amid escalating Middle East tensions. Traders were cautious ahead of the RBNZ’s monetary policy decision this week, with the market expecting the central bank to raise interest rates by 25 bps after raising them in May. Traders continued to assess the government’s decision to delay fuel excise rises from January 1, 2027, ahead of the general election, which is scheduled to be held in November 2026. However, Monday’s data capped the fall as August’s business confidence remained at a historically strong level, though easing from July’s five-month high. Industrials, consumer staples, and healthcare mainly weighed on the index, with the biggest laggards being Auckland International Airport (-2.2%), Ryman Healthcare (-1.4%), Meridian Energy (-1.3%), and A2 Milk (-1.1%).