Materials stocks advanced nearly 2% at midday Friday.
BHP Group (ASX:BHP) shares were up almost 2% in recent trade.
Meanwhile, the communications services sector struggled, shedding more than 1%.
Shares of Telstra Group (ASX:TLS) fell past 1% in recent trade.
Here are the most actively traded stocks on New Zealand's Exchange on Friday.My Food Bag Group (NZE:MFB): 923,981 sharesPacific Edge (NZE:PEB): 875,495 sharesTower (NZE:TWR): 663,370 sharesContact Energy (NZE:CEN): 535,715 sharesOceania Healthcare (NZE:OCA): 533,879 shares
US equity indexes ended higher Thursday after President Donald Trump appeared willing to wait for Iran to review Washington's latest proposal to agree on a framework for a peace deal.* Iran said it is reviewing the Trump administration's latest proposal to end the war after the US president said he was prepared to wait a few more days to "get the right answers" from Tehran, CNBC reported.* US initial jobless claims last week fell to 209,000 from an upwardly revised 212,000 in the previous week, compared with expectations for 210,000 in a Bloomberg survey.* April housing starts fell 2.8% to a 1.465 million annual rate from March, compared with a 1.41 million rate expected in a Bloomberg survey.* July West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell $0.76 to settle at $97.50 per barrel, while July Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen down $0.81 at $104.21.* IBM (IBM), GlobalFoundries (GFS), and D-Wave Quantum (QBTS) said they are set to receive billions of dollars in US government backing as part of the Trump administration's move to solidify the nation's lead in quantum computing. IBM shares rose 12%, the top gainer on the Dow Jones Industrial Average.* Intuit (INTU) shares fell 20%, the biggest drop on the S&P 500, after the company said it expects to incur $300 million to $340 million in restructuring charges from a plan to cut its workforce by 17%, primarily in fiscal Q4.
US equity indexes turned mixed ahead of Thursday's close as President Donald Trump appeared open to giving Iran time to review Washington's latest peace proposal while reportedly vowing to be firm on the nuclear issue.The Nasdaq Composite was steady at 26,279.1, while the S&P 500 was up 0.1% to 7,440.8 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.5% to 50,254.1.Iran on Thursday said it is reviewing the Trump administration's latest proposal to end the war after the US president said he was prepared to wait a few more days to "get the right answers" from Tehran, CNBC reported.Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the Islamic Republic had received the views of the American side and is "reviewing" it, CNBC cited the state-run agency Nour News. Iran said the latest US peace proposal partly bridged the gap between the warring sides, but disagreements remain, Bloomberg reported.Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei ordered enriched uranium to remain in the Islamic Republic, Reuters reported Thursday, citing two senior sources from the country. However, Tehran will "downblend" the nuclear material itself, an Iranian official told Al Jazeera, which also reported Trump has vowed to seize the nuclear material.Further, Iran is also discussing with Oman ways to set up a permanent toll system to formalize its control of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg reported. "Iran and Oman must mobilize all their resources both to provide security services and to manage navigation, in the most appropriate manner," the Iranian ambassador to France, Mohammad Amin-Nejad, said in an interview with Bloomberg in Paris on Wednesday.West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures fell 1.1% to $97.22, and Brent crude futures declined 1.1% to $103.91 in the final leg of trading.