Major averages eased slightly but still held moderate gains in midday trading Friday. The Dow Jones industrial average led with a 0.7% advance, the S&P 500 rose 0.6% and the Nasdaq was up 0.5%. Volume was tracking sharply higher across the board in the stock market today vs. this time on Thursday. Stocks got an early boost from China, which lowered key target interest rates for the first time since 2012.