Upbeat earnings lifted the markets higher during the midday with the Dow rising 36 points to 11,128. Nasdaq gained 17 points to 2498.
On the upside
Reed's (Nasdaq: REED) expects strong first quarter sales on the heels of a record fourth quarter.
Target (NYSE: TGT) will begin selling Jones Soda's (Nasdaq: JSDA) GABA flavors nationwide beginning late May.
First quarter earnings plunged for Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG) but the results topped analyst estimates.
On the downside
BioDelivery Sciences International (Nasdaq: BDSI) will sell $10 million of securities to institutional investors through a registered direct offering.
AK Steel Holding (NYSE: AKS) reversed year ago losses to post a first quarter profit but warned that increasing iron ore prices will negatively impact second quarter results.
First quarter earnings rose for State Street (NYSE: STT) but investors were unimpressed.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of nearly 4 to 1 on the NYSE and by nearly 5 to 2 on Nasdaq. The Russell 2000 which tracks small cap stocks climbed 7 points to 718.
Upbeat Earnings Lift Markets
April 20, 2010 at 14:15 PM EDT