Information technology stocks climbed nearly 2% at midday Friday. US markets were closed on Thursday.

Energy One (ASX:EOL) received ISO/IEC 27001 certification for its management system following completion of some final wrap activities. ISO/IEC 27001 relates to the standard for information security, cybersecurity, and privacy protection

On the flip side, the financial sector struggled, shedding 0.5%.

Westpac New Zealand (ASX:WBC, NZE WBC) was fined NZ$3.64 million by the High Court for breaching lender responsibility principles. Westpac agreed to admit to the breaches before the Commerce Commission filed proceedings.

The bank allegedly failed to have proper systems, processes, and controls in place to ensure that it honored interest rate discounts agreed with customers on their home loans. Multiple failures led to customers not receiving legally required information about their loans and, in some cases, agreed interest rate discounts.