Dow now at 12,807 or so, midday.
NEW YORK (AP) — Energy and materials companies are pushing
stocks higher as prices for oil and other commodities rose, but
mixed earnings reports from retailers are tempering gains.
Oil rose to nearly $100 a barrel because of a weaker dollar,
sending energy stocks in the S&P 500 up the most of the 10
industry groups in the index.
The Dow Jones industrial average is up 20 points, or 0.2 percent,
at 12,500. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index is up 6 points, or 0.4
percent, at 1,334.
Strong earnings from Dell Inc. helped push the technology-focused
Nasdaq composite index up 14 points, or 0.5 percent, at 2,797.
Staples Inc. plunged 19 percent after the office-supply company
reported sales that were weaker than investors were expecting. The
company also lowered its full-year earnings forecast.
