GE Real Estate Deal Gives Dow a Boost as Markets Eye Weekly Gain

Markets were making modest advances in midday trading Friday as the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq look to close out a volatile week with gains of more than 1% each. GE continued to drive markets, adding around 14 points to the Dow after announcing the sale of the bulk of its real estate portfolio. The company also announced a $50 million buyback program, tying with Apple for the largest ever. Gap declined after reporting a 7% drop in same-store sales in March, its 11th straight monthly decline. Analysts had expected a 3.5% drop. Crude oil prices appeared to stabilize with a weekly gain of 4.3% in sight. The commodity was higher on expectations of a delay in Iranian negotiations.