The nation's second quarter productivity increased more than expected to lift the markets higher during the midday with the Dow rising 34 points to 13,070. Nasdaq added 5 points to 3080. On the upside
Pluristem's (Nasdaq: PSTI) Placental expanded cells successfully treated a third patient with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Orexigen Therapeutics (Nasdaq: OREX) enrolled patients in its Light Study at a faster pace than expected. Office Depot (NYSE: ODP) affirmed its full year earnings guidance. On the downside NuStar Energy (NYSE: NS) priced its public offering of 6.2 million common units at the discounted price of $48.94 per unit.Pharmacyclics (Nasdaq: PCYC) widened fourth quarter losses. Hi-Tech Pharmacal (Nasdaq: HITK) disappointed with sharply lower first quarter earnings that fell far short of analyst expectations as revenue dropped. In the broad market, declining issues barely edged out advancers by a slim margin on both the NYSE and on Nasdaq. The Russell 2000 which tracks small cap stocks added a fraction to 822.