[July 21, 2011] SmarTrend Midday Market Recap -- July 21, 2011 (DJI,INX,IXIC) Tweet Jul 21, 2011 (SmarTrend(R) Market Commentary via COMTEX) -- Last updated July 21, 2011: 1:00 PM ET --- The major U.S. equity indices are trading higher Thursday following better-than-expected earnings reports and on reports that Europe is moving to extend bailout funds to Greece. The Labor Department reported that new applications for U.S. unemployment benefits rose last week. Initial claims for state benefits climbed by 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 418,000 in the week ended July 15. Economists had expected new requests for jobless benefits to fall 403,000. Claims in the prior week were revised up to 408,000 from an original reading of 405,000. An index of manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia region rebounded in July, while the Federal Housing Agency reported that home prices rose 0.4% in May. The Conference Board's index of leading economic indicators rose 0.3% in June, in line with economists' estimates. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) is trading 1.26% higher at 12,730.66, the S&P500 index is trading 1.40$ higher at 1,344.42, and the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) is trading 0.78% higher at 2,836.05. Write to Chip Brian at [email protected] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SmarTrend analyzes over 5,000 securities simultaneously throughout the trading day and provides its subscribers with trend change alerts in real time. To get a free trial of our trading calls and maximize your trading results, please visit http://www.MySmarTrend.com Get exclusive, actionable insight into how the market is expected to trend prior to market open with our free morning newsletter. Sign up at: http://www.MySmarTrend.com/signup [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]