The markets continued to advance during the midday with
the
Dow soaring 163 points to 12,735 as European leaders moved closer to finalizing a solution to contain the debt crisis. Nasdaq gained 22
points to 2837.
On the upside
The Wall Street Journal reported that Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) has engaged in discussions to acquire InterDigital (Nasdaq: IDCC).
Shares of Barclays (NYSE: BCS), Governor and Company of The Bank of Ireland (NYSE: IRE) and Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE: LYG) all rose as European leaders drafted new proposals to contain the spreading debt crisis.
Second quarter earnings more than tripled for Robert Half International (NYSE: RHI) to top analyst estimates as revenue climbed.
LM Ericsson (Nasdaq: ERIC) reported higher second quarter earnings but the results fell far short of expectations.
Second quarter earnings rose for Safeway (NYSE: SWY) but the grocery store chain's full year outlook disappointed.
American Airlines parent AMR (NYSE: AMR) blamed higher fuel expenses for widening second quarter losses more than expected.