The markets retreated to trade lower during the midday with the Dow slipping 20 points to 13,306 as the surging cost of gasoline lifted wholesale prices. Nasdaq lost 7 points to 3041. On the upside
STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM) denied rumors that it was considering separating the company into at least two different businesses. JB Hunt (Nasdaq: JBHT) reported higher third quarter earnings as revenue rose to top analyst estimates. McMoRan Exploration (NYSE: MMR) declared a quarterly cash dividend on preferred stocks payable on November 15, 2012 to shareholders of record November 1, 2012. On the downside Ryan & Maniskas filed a class action lawsuit against OCZ Technology Group (Nasdaq: OCZ) alleging securities law violations. Infosys (Nasdaq: INFY) reported higher second quarter earnings but revenue fell short of expectations and the company cut its earnings guidance for year. Bank of America/Merrill Lynch downgraded Liquidity Services (Nasdaq: LQDT) to a neutral rating. In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of more than 5 to 3 on both the NYSE and on Nasdaq. The Russell 2000 which tracks small cap stocks dropped 7 points to 822.