Every Monday we post some thoughts in our Perriams Pacesetter, containing fresh thoughts for the week, the weekend just gone, and a bit of left field. Click below to read.
Perriams Pacesetter – 30 March 2026
Events
30th March 2026
TOPICAL
Easter Egg prices are on the rise again as the price of chocolate continues to increase. Shop around this week folks but don’t travel too far as fuel prices will make “cheaper” Easter Eggs more expensive Easter Eggs. Can’t win. ☹
GEM
It’s a short week and it’s Easter. Don’t let the cost of fuel stop you from travelling because those holiday spots are relying on you. You might just have to go short on something else this Easter so there’s still some moola in the wallet!
OF INTEREST
Did you know that there are more than 80 sleep conditions that have been characterised in the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, published by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine? Whatever happened to a good day’s work, some exercise, a bit of winding down, and lights out? Another study just released suggests that getting an extra 11 minutes of sleep each night is enough to help reduce the risk of heart attacks. This study was done on 53,000 middle-aged adults.
OPINION
What a blow for “Warbirds over Wanaka” this Easter with the US Airforce F-22 Raptors no longer coming due to the war in Iran. These Raptors were expected to steal the show.
SPOTLIGHT
Christchurch recorded more than 30,000 extra cycling trips over the last two weeks as fuel prices stagger above $3 a litre. These trips were registered by cycle counters. We are lucky it’s still summer.
Could this fuel crisis change our habits and will we embrace busses, bikes and buggies?
THE MARKETS
Volatility has become the norm, with the NZX50 down roughly 5% since the start of the War in the Middle East on 28 February 2026.
Let’s compare that to the US S&P 500, roughly 4%, and the Australia S&P 200, around 4% down. This drop is not that significant, reflecting that most investors are still hoping for a relatively quick resolution. There is a good chance you’re in that camp.
OCR 2.25% ↓ November 2025
CPI 3.1% ↑ January 2026
Unemployment 5.4% ↑ December 2025
House Price Movement 2.3% ↑ July 2024
Rent Price Movement 4.3% ↑ July 2024
Only 270 days to go until Christmas!
PERRIAMS POWER RANKINGS
Each week we announce Perriams “Game Changers” for the week.
- Christchurch’s long awaited, new, covered stadium was put to the test last Friday. $683 million and on budget. Ironically, Friday was a shitty day weather-wise in Christchurch, so the roof was on. 😊
- Tiger Woods in the News again but not for the right reasons. Might be hard to get in shape Tiger with another possible driving conviction hanging over you now!
- The Wahs first loss for the year but it’s still their year!
Ready to sow the first seed? Let's talk!
