A gain in consumer confidence lifted the markets during the midday with the Dow rising 21 points to 13,003. Nasdaq gained 17 points to 2984.
On the upside
Tibet Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: TBET) agreed to be taken private by chief executive and chairman Hong Yu for a premium of $3 per share in cash.
Domino's Pizza (NYSE: DPZ) reported higher fourth quarter earnings that topped analyst estimates as revenue climbed.
Fourth quarter earnings more than doubled for Zagg (Nasdaq: ZAGG) to surpass analyst expectations.
On the downside
Cablevision Systems (NYSE: CVC) reported sharply lower fourth quarter earnings even as revenue rose to top estimates.
Rowan (NYSE: RDC) disappointed with lower fourth quarter earnings and announced plans to move its corporate headquarters to the United Kingdom.
Southwestern Energy (NYSE: SWN) reported higher fourth quarter earnings but the results missed expectations.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of nearly 9 to 7 on the NYSE and by nearly 5 to 4 to on Nasdaq. The Russell 2000 which tracks small cap stocks eased a fraction to 826.