Mid-Day Market Update: US Stocks Turn Higher; Quiksilver Shares Surge On Upbeat Earnings

Midway through trading Friday, the Dow traded up 0.21 percent to 14,968.35 while the NASDAQ surged 0.21 percent to 3,666.32. The S&P also rose, gaining 0.31 percent to 1,660.23.

Smithfield Foods

reported a

profit. Smithfield's quarterly profit dropped to $39.5 million, from $61.7 million, in the year-earlier period. Its earnings per share fell to $0.27 from $0.40. Its revenue climbed to $3.4 billion from $3.1 billion. Analysts were expecting a profit of $0.47 per share.

Quiksilver

shot up 31.58 percent to $6.84 after the company reported upbeat fiscal third-quarter earnings. Shares of VeriFone Systems

got a boost, shooting up 10.96 percent to $22.99 after the company reported

fiscal third-quarter results. Finisar

was also up, gaining 2.23 percent to $23.35 after the company issued strong Q2 outlook.

Shares of Mattress Firm Holding

were down 16.14 percent to $34.96 after the company reported

and lowered its forecast. MannKind

shares tumbled 6.03 percent to $5.92 after analysts at

the stock from Neutral to Underperform. Smith & Wesson Holding

was down, falling 8.28 percent to $10.53 after the company issued a downbeat Q2 forecast.

In commodity news,

to $110.14, while gold traded up 1.06 percent to $1,387.60. Silver traded up 2.58 percent Friday to $23.86, while copper rose 0.48 percent to $3.26.

European shares

today. The Spanish Ibex Index gained 1.23 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index rose 1.21 percent. Meanwhile, the German DAX gained 0.49 percent and the French CAC 40 climbed 1.06 percent while U.K. shares rose 0.23 percent.

The US economy added 169,000 jobs in August, while the country's unemployment rate declined to 7.3% from 7.4%. Economists were expecting a 173,000 gain in jobs in August.