Midday Report: Nike Pushes Dow to Positive Ground For 2015

U.S. stocks looked to finish the week more than 3% higher in what has been a busy five days of Federal Reserve talk. Markets have shown relief that international bodies appear ready to do what it takes to stimulate growth, while the uncertainty has dissipated over whether the Fed will hike rates soon. The Dow Jones Industrial Average turned positive for the year as a rally in shares of Nike (NKE) pushed the blue-chip index higher. Nike shares jumped after the athletics wear retailer announced a 2-for-1 stock split, authorized a $12 billion buyback plan and upped its quarterly dividend payment by 14%. Cisco (CSCO) climbed after announcing it has agreed to buy Acano, a privately-held video-conferencing software company.