The S&P 500 rose 0.31% to 1,955.50 in afternoon trading Monday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.26% to 16,967.82, while the Nasdaq was up 0.58% to 4,346.43.
The yield on a 10-year Treasury bond rose 0.85% to 2.62%.
The price of gold was up 0.04% to $1,253.
HOMEBUILDING
Homebuilders were up at midday on mergers and acquisitions news and sector strength.
Irvine-based TRI Pointe Homes Inc. was up 5.29% to $16.71. TRI Pointe is buying the homebuilder operations of Federal Way, Wash.-based Weyerhauser Co.’s. That unit, Weyerhauser Real Estate Co., said it plans to close Friday on the private placement of two $450 million senior notes offerings due in 2019 and 2024 and paying 4.375% and 5.875%, respectively.
Irvine-based Standard Pacific Homes was up 1.44% to $8.45. After markets closed Friday, the company said it would buy Austin, Texas-based Streetman Homes, adding 850 homesites in 10 current and future communities.
Newport Beach-based William Lyon Homes was up 2.53% to 26.71.
HEALTHCARE
Irvine-based diagnostics company Biomerica Inc. was up 9.9% to $1 on heavy volume and new products news in China. The company said Wednesday it received approval in China for two products and signed a new distribution channel there for them. By midday, it had traded 42,463 shares, compared to a 90-day average volume of 8,405.
