The InformationWeek 100 fell 1.04 points, or 0.4%, to 295.58 after the Conference Board said its Index of Economic Indicators dropped 0.2% in September, slightly less than analysts had expected. It was the first drop in the index in half a year. But the Nasdaq Composite rose 12.78 points, or 0.7%, to 1,925.14. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 56.15 points, or 0.6%, to 9,777.94, and the S&P 500 rose 5.36 points, or 0.5%, to 1,044.68.
Several technology stocks posted higher earnings, sending their stocks skyward. Informatica (INFA) reported that its third-quarter net loss shriveled from the same period last year to $184,000, or less than a penny a share, raising the stock price by 7.4%.
PMC-Sierra (PMCS) rose 5.4% as the maker of high-capacity communications and storage chips posted a 5.9% increase in revenue and a profit of $3.2 million, or 2 cents a share, versus a loss of $9.2 million, or 5 cents a share, a year ago. Investors in the U.S. shares of electronics maker NEC (NIPNY) sent the stock up 6% in hopes of a favorable earnings report later this week.