Jobless claims fell more than expected to boost the markets sharply higher during the midday with the Dow leaping 191 points to 17,826. Nasdaq climbed 30 points to 4,880.
On the upside
Bon-Ton Stores (Nasdaq: BONT) reported higher fourth quarter earnings as revenue rose.
Shares of Summit Materials (NYSE: SUM) surged in its market debut.
Lumber Liquidators (NYSE: LL) defended the safety of its products and offered free air quality testing and free re-installations to customers.
On the downside
PetroQuest Energy (NYSE: PQ) will not proceed with its previously announced public offering of 10 million common shares.
Profit taking weighed down shares of Warren Resources (Nasdaq: WRES).
Second Sight Medical Products (Nasdaq: EYES) widened losses for the fourth quarter.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of nearly 3 to 1 on the NYSE and by nearly 7 to 3 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 soared 18 points to 2058. Bitcoin added a point to $294.
Markets surge as jobless claims tumble
March 12, 2015 at 14:40 PM EDT
