New Zealand shares ended higher on Friday, while most Asian shares saw a sell-off as a peace deal in the Middle East remains elusive.
The S&P/NZX 50 Index rose 0.46%, or 60.36 points, to close at 13,161.97.
The Lebanon-based Hezbollah has rejected a new ceasefire on Thursday, and Israel said it will not withdraw its troops from Lebanon, according to a Thursday Reuters report.
In domestic news, New Zealand's total new lending decreased to NZ$14.17 billion in April from NZ$15.13 billion in March, according to data from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.
In corporate news, Infratil (ASX:IFT, NZE:IFT) said its capital bond offer closed after it allocated AU$200 million of unsecured, subordinated, repayable, cumulative, interest-bearing capital bonds maturing on June 15, 2057, including AU$50 million of oversubscriptions.
Spark New Zealand (NZE:SPK, ASX:SPK) launched Verified Call, a feature that helps customers identify legitimate Spark calls by displaying the company's name, logo, a verified badge, and the reason for calling on the mobile phone screen before picking up.