Major Averages Holding On To Gains In Mid-Day Trading

(RTTNews) - Stocks remain mostly positive in mid-day trading on Thursday, although buying interest has been somewhat subdued, leading to choppy trading. The gains on the day have partly offset the pullback seen on Wednesday.

While many of the major sectors are showing only modest moves on the day, substantial strength remains visible among trucking stocks. Reflecting the strength in the sector, the Dow Jones Trucking Index has surged up by 3.3 percent.

Con-Way (CNW) is leading the trucking sector higher, jumping by 33.6 percent after agreeing to be acquired by XPO Logistics (XPO) for $3 billion, including the assumption of debt.

Computer hardware stocks are also turning in a strong performance on the day, resulting in a 1.4 percent gain by the NYSE Arca Computer Hardware Index. Logitech (LOGI) is posting a strong gain after shareholders approved a dividend increase.

Natural gas, biotechnology and healthcare stocks are also seeing notable strength on the day, while some weakness has emerged among housing stocks.

Currently, the major averages are firmly in positive territory but off their highs for the session. The Dow is up 74.86 points or 0.5 percent at 16,328.43, the Nasdaq is up 36.33 points or 0.8 percent at 4,792.86 and the S&P 500 is up 9.89 points or 0.5 percent at 1,951.93.