Third quarter consumer spending rose 3.0% to lift the markets higher during the midday with the Dow gaining 63 points to 17,314. Nasdaq held steady at 4,968.
On the upside
Shares of ONEOK Partners (NYSE: OKS) continued climbing.
Williams (NYSE: WMB) employees helped raise more than $5.4 million for the United Way.
Shares of Azure Midstream Partners (NYSE: AZUR) continued soaring.
On the downside
Robbins Arroyo initiated an investigation into Great Basin Scientific (NYSE: GBSN) for possible securities violations.
Acacia Research (Nasdaq: ACTG) chief executive Matthew Vella resigned.
Investors locked in profits on Southwestern Energy (NYSE: SWN).
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of nearly 2 to 1 on the NYSE while decliners edged out advancers by more than 10 to 9 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 rose 8 points to 2,029. Bitcoin added $3 to $438.
