The markets traded mixed during the midday with the Dow slipping 20 points to 15,097 while Nasdaq rose 8 points to 3445 as an unexpected 0.1% gain in April retail sales tempered concerns over the possible end to the Federal Reserve's stimulus measures.
On the upside
Shares of SolarCity (Nasdaq: SCTY) soared ahead of its first quarter earnings release after market close this afternoon.
Tesla Motors (Nasdaq: TSLA) stock continued advancing after reporting a quarterly profit for the very first time last week and receiving a near perfect score for the Model S from Consumer Reports.
Bargain hunters lifted shares of Affymax (Nasdaq: AFFY).
On the downside
A Seeking Alpha contributor noted that falling molybdenum, copper and gold prices along with soaring capital expenditures have weighed heavily on Thompson Creek Metals (NYSE: TC).
Investors locked in profits on Qihoo (NYSE: QIHU).
EMCORE (Nasdaq: EMKR) extended its losses.
In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of nearly 7 to 5 on the NYSE and by more than 10 to 9 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 index added a point to 1635.
