A surprisingly upbeat earnings report by Google boosted the markets to a sharply higher close with the Dow leaping 229 points to 12,849. Nasdaq jumped 61 points to 2403.

On the upside

Overstock.com (Nasdaq: OSTK) reported a narrower than expected first quarter loss as revenue rose.

Second quarter earnings for Amdocs (NYSE: DOX) rose to surpass estimates due to increased revenue from its software management business.

Manpower (NYSE: MAN) impressed with first quarter earnings that far exceeded estimates due to strong sales in France.

On the downside

GFI Group (Nasdaq: GFIG) announced the resignation of North American credit head Donal Fewer and warned that a competitor may lure away more of its brokers.

First quarter earnings for Amcol International (NYSE: ACO) tumbled to fall short of expectations as expenses climbed.

Citizens Republic Bancorp (Nasdaq: CRBC) blamed a surging loan loss provision for sharply lower first quarter earnings that missed estimates.

In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of 7 to 2 on the NYSE and by more than 5 to 2 on Nasdaq. The Russell 2000 which tracks small cap stocks soared 13 points to 721.