NZX50 falls as Westpac hikes mortgage rates, RBA stays on hold. 

Detected Manipulations & Suggested Changes

Appeal to emotion / Slightly loaded language

Use of vivid or combative wording that can subtly frame events more dramatically than neutral language would, even in an otherwise factual piece.

1) "Paramount Skydance lobbed in a hostile takeover for Warner Bros Discovery, attempting to scuttle Netflix’s successful deal for the owner of the HBO library – a key component of Sky’s Neon entertainment offering." 2) "Sky Network Television clawed back most of yesterday’s losses, climbing 6.8% to $3.45 after Paramount Skydance lobbed in a hostile takeover for Warner Bros Discovery – which owns HBO – in a bid to trump Netflix’s US$72 billion deal, which has the blessing of the US media group’s board." Verbs like "lobbed in", "scuttle", "clawed back", and "trump" add a slightly combative or dramatic tone. While common in financial journalism, they are more colorful than strictly necessary and can subtly frame the situation as a battle rather than a transaction.

4 suggestions

Replace "lobbed in a hostile takeover" with more neutral phrasing such as "made a hostile takeover offer".

Replace "attempting to scuttle Netflix’s successful deal" with "which could disrupt Netflix’s agreed deal" or "which could compete with Netflix’s agreed deal".

Replace "clawed back most of yesterday’s losses" with "recovered most of yesterday’s losses".

Replace "in a bid to trump Netflix’s US$72 billion deal" with "as an alternative to Netflix’s US$72 billion deal".

Conflating correlation with causation / Oversimplification

Presenting a market move as caused by a specific event without clearly distinguishing between correlation, plausible influence, and proven causation.

1) "New Zealand’s S&P/NZX 50 index fell as a hike in mortgage rates by Westpac New Zealand and the Reserve Bank of Australia’s cautious pause had investors second-guessing whether interest rates are poised to start rising, weighing on companies held for their reliable dividends such as Mercury NZ and Vector." 2) "Interest rate-sensitive companies weighed on the benchmark index after the RBA’s decision and the mortgage rate hike by Westpac. Companies held for their reliable dividends – which lose their appeal when term deposit rates rise – weighed on the index, with Mercury NZ falling 1.7% to $6.33 and Vector down 1.7% at $4.64." These sentences imply a direct causal chain from the RBA decision and Westpac mortgage hike to specific stock moves. While this is plausible and standard in market commentary, the article does not provide direct evidence that these were the primary or sole causes, and other factors could also be at play.

3 suggestions

Qualify causal language with attribution or probability, e.g., change "fell as a hike in mortgage rates... had investors second-guessing" to "fell, with analysts citing Westpac’s mortgage rate hike and the RBA’s cautious pause as factors that may have led investors to second-guess whether interest rates are poised to start rising".

Change "Interest rate-sensitive companies weighed on the benchmark index after the RBA’s decision and the mortgage rate hike by Westpac" to "Interest rate-sensitive companies were weaker on the day; market participants linked this to the RBA’s decision and Westpac’s mortgage rate hike".

Where possible, add explicit attribution such as "according to [named analyst/firm]" when explaining market moves.

Appeal to authority (minor, standard use)

Relying on expert commentary to explain events, which is normal in financial reporting but can become a manipulation if presented as definitive without acknowledging it is opinion.

"There’s a lot of chatter about whether it’s signalling we’re at the bottom and they’re actually trying to protect their margin," said Greg Smith, investment specialist at Generate Investment Management. "The Reserve Bank of New Zealand will still want the optionality to put through another rate cut in February depending on what happens to the economy." "Generate’s Smith said Vista’s push into a software-as-a-service model has made its business more aligned to the global box office, which has still to return to pre-covid levels." "‘It’s potentially less negative for Sky than if Netflix were to buy it and cut off the HBO library,’ Smith said." These are clearly attributed opinions from a named investment specialist. The article does not present them as facts, so the risk of manipulation is low, but the narrative leans on a single expert’s interpretation.

3 suggestions

Add brief balancing context such as "Other analysts have differing views on how banks will manage margins" if such information is available.

Clarify that these are interpretations, e.g., "Smith argued that..." or "In his view, the RBNZ will still want..." to reinforce that these are opinions, not established facts.

Include at least one additional, contrasting or complementary expert view where feasible to reduce reliance on a single authority.