Midday Report: AMD Jumps on Bank of America Upgrade; Stocks Inch Higher

U.S. stocks turn higher in uneven trade as the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 attempt to set new records with just small gains.

Author:: Keris Alison Lahiff
Publish date:: Dec 8, 2016 12:17 PM EST

Stocks turned higher in uneven trade as the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 attempted to set new records with just small gains. The Dow and S&P had closed Wednesday at fresh records. Tailored Brands (TLRD) - Get Report surged after swinging to a profit in its recent quarter. The parent company of Jos.A Bank also anticipates same-store sales to grow in the mid- to high-single percentage digits over the fourth quarter. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) - Get Report jumped after an analysts' double upgrade. Bank of America upped its rating on the chipmaker to BUY from UNDERPERFORM and more than doubled its price target. The firm said AMD has high risk-reward potential. H&R Block (HRB) - Get Report fell after posting a quarterly loss. However, the tax preparation company did see a loss slightly narrower than expected, while revenue inched higher.