Markets were up in midday trading on a U.S. hiring surge: payrolls rose by more than 300,000 in February and the unemployment rate held steady.
The S&P 500 was up 1.3% to 2,773.99. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.4% to 25,234.77. The Nasdaq climbed 1.4% to 7,528
The yield on a 10-year Treasury bond jumped 1% to 2.89%.
The price of gold was 0.2% higher to $1,324.
RESTAURANTS
El Pollo Loco Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: LOCO) in Costa Mesa was up 8.9% to $10.45 and a $404 million market cap. The fast food chicken chain reported higher revenue and beat expectations on earnings.
HEALTHCARE
ChromaDex Corp. (Nasdaq: CDXC) in Irvine fell 5.8% to $4.86 and a $261 million market cap. The ingredients maker reported a quarterly and annual loss.
SERVICES
AutoWeb Inc. (Nasdaq: AUTO) in Irvine dove 41% to $4 and a $52 million market cap. The automobile sales leads provider missed expectations on revenue and earnings and its chief executive and chief financial officer resigned.
