The markets closed mixed with the Dow slipping 7 points to 15,002 in response to Federal Reserve minutes indicating that tapering may begin sooner than expected. Nasdaq gained 24 points to 3613.
On the upside
Shares of NetEase (Nasdaq: NTES) continued rising after announcing a joint venture with Chinese Telecom to offer YiChat social instant messaging.
T.J. Maxx and Marshalls parent TJX (NYSE: TJX) reported higher second quarter earnings that topped analyst estimates.
NF Energy (Nasdaq: NFEC) will retrofit 58 of Dongguan Xianjia Plastic Products’ injecting molding machines with energy efficient improvements.
On the downside
Perfect World (Nasdaq: PWRD) disappointed with sharply lower second quarter earnings.
Second quarter earnings plunged for China Techfaith Wireless Communication Technology (Nasdaq: CNTF).
Second quarter earnings climbed for Aegean Marine Petroleum Network (NYSE: ANW) but the results fell short of analyst expectations.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of more than 5 to 2 on both the NYSE and on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 gained 6 points to 1652.