Shares in New Zealand rose 55 points, or 0.4%, to 13,715 in Friday morning trade, rebounding from losses in the prior session after Wall Street bounced back Thursday on strong U.S. bank earnings and tech gains. The local market is on track for a fourth consecutive weekly advance, though modest, underpinned by local data showing December factory activity grew the most in three years, marking a third successive monthly expansion. Meantime, food inflation eased to 4% from 4.4% in December, its lowest since April, offering further support. However, gains were tempered by caution ahead of key data from top trading partner China next week, including Q4 GDP and December activity, alongside New Zealand’s Q4 CPI release following Q3’s five-quarter high of 3.0%. Sector gains were broad, led by energy minerals, financials, and healthcare. Notable movers included Summerset Group Holdings (1.8%), Property for Industry (1.7%), EBOS Group (1.6%), and Vector Ltd. (1.2%).