U.S. stocks traded higher midway through Friday’s session, with the Dow Jones index up around 400 points. The Dow gained 0.76% to 53,162.51, the S&P 500 rose 0.32% to 7,665.35 and the Nasdaq edged up 0.01% to 26,070.83. Materials shares jumped 2.3%, while information technology stocks fell 0.5%. The S&P Global composite PMI (business activity gauge) climbed to 56 in August from 54.5, its strongest growth since April 2022. RF Acquisition Corp II surged 256% after shareholders approved its proposed combination with Singapore-based Nanyang Biologics Pte. Ltd., while Werewolf Therapeutics jumped 113% after announcing a merger with Ambros Therapeutics and commitments for a $150 million private placement. Oil fell 0.4%, while gold, silver and copper gained.