The S&P 500 rose 0.62% to 1,939.83 in afternoon trading Thursday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.57% to 16,832.50, while the Nasdaq was up 0.98% to 4,293.42.
The yield on a 10-year Treasury bond fell 0.92% to 2.58%.
The price of gold was up 0.72% to $1,253.30.
HEALTHCARE
Irvine-based device maker Endologix Inc. was up 5.53% to 14.32. Investors are bullish on the company. Of eight analysts, five rate it a buy, and three say overweight or hold. None say sell. The consensus is that losses can be halved by the next fiscal year. The stock has risen 10% in the past two days.
Mission Viejo-based nursing home operator The Ensign Group Inc. was up 4.58% to $30.81. Ensign said it bought four nursing facilities and announced a new $150 million revolving credit facility to fund more acquisitions, as well as for working capital.
RESTAURANTS
Huntington Beach-based BJ’s Restaurants Inc. was up 4.98% to $33.92. At its shareholder meeting this week, the company said it would continue increasing restaurant operating weeks and said it believed it could nearly triple domestic restaurants from 151 to 425.
