The markets extended its gains during the midday with the Dow climbing 70 points to 17,121 as existing home sales rose 2.6% in June. Nasdaq gained 32 points to 4,456.
On the upside
Investors ignored the latest attack on Herbalife (NYSE: HLF) that was launched by Pershing Square's Bill Ackman.
The German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy granted FuelCell Energy (Nasdaq: FCEL) 4.9 million euros for a three year research and development project.
SeeThruElement initiated coverage of Net Element (Nasdaq: NETE) with a price target of $3.27.
On the downside
Second quarter earnings and revenue for Silicom (Nasdaq: SILC) fell short of expectations.
Del Frisco's Restaurant Group (Nasdaq: DFRG) reported higher second quarter earnings and revenue but the results missed analyst expectations and the company lowered its full year earnings guidance.
The acquisition of two banks by BancorpSouth (NYSE: BXS) has been delayed due to federal inquiries.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of more than 5 to 2 on both the NYSE and on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 climbed 10 points to 1984. Bitcoin edged up a fraction to $619.
