The markets advanced during the midday with the Dow climbing 52 points to 14,033 over consolidation speculation in the office supplies sector. Nasdaq gained 10 points to 3202.
On the upside
A Seeking Alpha contributor wrote that CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) was good long term investment.
Fourth quarter earnings fell for Bruker (Nasdaq: BRKR) but the results were better than expected.
Rockwood Holdings (NYSE: ROC) reported lower fourth quarter earnings but revenue rose to surpass analyst expectations.
On the downside
Fourth quarter earnings slipped for Cimatron (Nasdaq: CIMT) even as revenue rose.
EarthLink (Nasdaq: ELNK) fell to a loss for the fourth quarter and forecast 2012 revenue below analyst expectations.
eHealth (Nasdaq: EHTH) reported flat fourth quarter earnings that fell short of expectations and forecast 2013 earnings below estimates.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of nearly 2 to 1 on both the NYSE and on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 index climbed 7 points to 1526.
