U.S. shares advanced today as investors were encouraged by signals of a possible deal between Greece and its creditors that could help the country avert a debt default. The S&P 500 (INDEXSP:.INX) inched up 0.1 percent to 2,103.75 at 11:54 a.m. in New York. The 30-company Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) added 0.5 percent to 17,976.43, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (INDEXNASDAQ:.IXIC) slipped 0.5 percent to 5,089.39. Most followed shares included Celladon, UnitedHealth, Micron Technology, JD.com, KLA-Tencor, Nike, Lululemon Athletica, TransUnion, and Potash.
In health-care shares, Celladon (NASDAQ:CLDN) dropped 41.7 percent to $1.28. The clinical-stage biotechnology company confirmed plans to end all research and development and said it may move to liquidate all assets if it fails to find a buyer.
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) added 1.1 percent to $123.67 after the health and well-being company was upgraded to “buy” from “neutral” by Sterne Agee.
In technology stocks, Synnex (NYSE:SNX) dropped 8.3 percent to $75.51 after the business process services company said its revenue for the May quarter dropped 5.8%, missing its own guidance, while the business process services company also gave a disappointing outlook for the current quarter.
Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) tumbled 18.9 percent to $19.48 after the provider of semiconductor devices said it expects a further decline in prices of chips used in personal computers, and forecast revenue for the current quarter well below market estimates.
JD.com (NASDAQ:JD) sank 3.2 percent to $32.93. The China-based e-commerce company is starting up a China consumer credit-scoring service. It will team up with ZestFinance of the U.S. for that service, which will compete directly with a similar operation by Alibaba.
KLA-Tencor (NASDAQ:KLAC) rose 0.4 percent to C$57.57, reversing an earlier slump. The technology company slashed guidance for its current quarter, a result of severance costs stemming from a workforce reduction.
In consumer shares, Nike (NYSE:NKE) rose 4.5 percent to $109.86 after the world's largest footwear maker’s quarterly results were boosted by new products and market-share gains.
Lululemon Athletica (NASDAQ:LULU) fluctuated and was last trading up 0.2 percent to $67.68. The sportswear maker is recalling more than 300,000 women’s hoodies due to potentially dangerous drawstrings.
In other stocks, TransUnion (NYSE:TRU), a risk and information solutions provider, climbed 0.6 percent to $4.54 after a 13 percent jump in yesterday’s trading debut.
Potash (NYSE:POT) fell 1.3 percent to $31.47. Potash is bidding to buy German fertilizer producer K+S, sending that company's shares up nearly 40 percent in overseas trading. K+S says it's assessing its options, although sources tell Reuters the company is likely to reject the proposal.