NZX 50 shed 31 points, or 0.2%, to close at 13,942 on Monday, after gaining in the previous session, tracking a decline on Wall Street on Friday amid expectations that the Fed would raise interest rates at its upcoming meeting following stronger-than-expected labor data. Traders were cautious ahead of China’s CPI and PPI data, as well as trade figures for August, due later this week. Rising oil prices also pressured sentiment amid an escalating conflict in the Middle East, raising concerns over inflation and boosting bets that central banks would raise interest rates. Materials, healthcare, real estate, and communication services mainly weighed on the index, with decliners including Vulcan Steel (-4.6%), Fisher & Paykel (-1.2%), Hallenstein Glasson (-2.0%), ANZ Group (-0.9%), Mainfreight (-0.7%), and Westpac Banking Corp. (-0.6%).