The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday edition that Canada's main stock index rose on Friday, continuing its monthly gain, as hopes of an extended ceasefire in the Middle East boosted investor sentiment. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe reports that the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX Composite Index ended up 240.87 points, or 0.7 per cent, at 34,758.57. For the month, the index was up 2.4 per cent, marking its second straight month of gains. Canada's economy unexpectedly contracted in the first quarter, marking two consecutive quarters of decline amid U.S. tariff uncertainty and lowered expectations for Bank of Canada interest rate hikes this year. CIBC economist Katherine Judge says, "Overall, this was a very weak report from most angles that shows that trade uncertainty and tariffs are continuing to hold back growth, while consumers have little ammunition left for spending ahead." The Trump administration wants to increase the level of regional content in North American-built vehicles to 82 per cent to qualify for preferential treatment under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade, with 50 per cent of that value produced in the United States, four people familiar with the U.S. negotiating position said.