U.S. stocks traded higher midway through trading, with the Nasdaq Composite jumping around 300 points on Thursday.
The Dow traded up 0.67% to 38,872.01 while the NASDAQ rose 2.36% to 15,949.22. The S&P 500 also rose, gaining, 1.62% to 5,062.45.
Check This Out: Analog Devices To Rally Around 19%? Here Are 10 Top Analyst Forecasts For Thursday
Leading and Lagging Sectors
Information technology shares rose by 3.8% on Thursday.
In trading on Thursday, utilities shares fell by 1.1%.
Top Headline
U.S. initial jobless claims fell by 12,000 to 201,000 in the week ending Feb. 17, compared to market estimates of 218,000.
Equities Trading UP
La Rosa Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: LRHC) shares shot up 137% to $3.3199 after the company disclosed that it has acquired a 100% interest in the La Rosa Realty Winter Garden franchise in Florida.
Shares of Root, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROOT) got a boost, surging 46% to $12.65 after the company reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter financial results. Following earnings, Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded the stock from Neutral to Overweight and raised its price target from $9 to $13.
Monopar Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: MNPR) shares were also up, gaining 96% to $1.12 after the company announced preclinical data for its MNPR-101 radiopharma program targeting advanced cancers.
Equities Trading DOWN
Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO) shares dropped 51% to $0.1753 after the company …