Investors welcomed news that jobless claims dropped more than expected. The markets traded higher during the midday with the Dow surging 157 points to 11,770. Nasdaq soared 38 points to 2654.
On the upside
Shares of Conerstone OnDemand (Nasdaq: CSOD) surged on its first trading day.
Flotek Industries (NYSE: FTK) narrowed losses for the year ended December 31, 2010 as revenue increased.
Wireless Ronin (Nasdaq: RNIN) partnered with Sprint (NYSE: S) to offer clients a comprehensive, fully hosted digital signage and content management solution.
On the downside
Sanmina-SCI (Nasdaq: SANM) announced the departure of chief operating officer Hari Pillai and warned that project delays will negatively impact second quarter results.
AgFeed Industries (Nasdaq: FEED) disappointed by swinging to a fourth quarter loss.
Guess (NYSE: GES) reported higher fourth quarter earnings that topped analyst estimates but the apparel company forecast first quarter results well below expectations.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of nearly 6 to 2 on the NYSE and by nearly 3 to 1 on Nasdaq. The Russell 2000 which tracks small cap stocks gained 8 points 790.
