The markets advanced during the midday with the Dow jumping 131 points to 15,423 on reassurances from Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke that the bond buying program would continue until the economy strengthened. Nasdaq leaped 43 points to 3564.
On the upside
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ALNY) reported positive results from a Phase I trial of ALN-TTRsc to treat TTR-mediated amyloidosis.
The Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges granted initial accreditation to Bridgepoint Education's (NYSE: BPI) Ashford University.
Bank of America upgraded Advanced Micro Devices (Nasdaq: AMD) from an Underperform rating to a Buy rating.
On the downside
Renewable Energy Group (Nasdaq: REGI) will release second quarter financial results on July 30 after market close.
Ascent Solar Technologies (Nasdaq: ASTI) announced a distribution partnership with West Coast Limited but the stock price fell.
FLY Leasing (NYSE: FLY) continued falling after announcing a secondary offering Tuesday after market close.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of nearly 5 to 1 on the NYSE and by more than 2 to 1 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 index soared 16 points to 1669.
