On the upside
BT Group PLC (NYSE: BT) posted lower 1st quarter profits that beat expectations. Britain's largest telecommunication company cited cost-cutting for the improvements.
Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW) reported lower earnings, but an analyst upgraded the stock.
Shares of American Superconductor (Nasdaq: AMSC) soared after the company posted profits that surpassed estimates and raised its guidance for 2009.
The newspaper industry continued to rally. Shares of A.H. Belo (NYSE: AHC) and McClatchy (NYSE: MNI) extended recent gains.
On the downside
Consumer products maker Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL) posted higher 2nd quarter profits, but investors worried about the steeper than expected drop in revenues.
Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC) reported a decline in revenues and earnings that disappointed investors.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of nearly 5 to 1 on the NYSE and by nearly the same on Nasdaq. The Russell 2000 which tracks small cap stocks climbed 10 points to 558.
