Thursday's early afternoon trade: Nasdaq up; Dow, S&P down

The Nasdaq rose on Thursday while the Dow industrials and S&P 500 declined as upbeat corporate profits and reassuring job market data offset investors' anxiety about Chrysler's bankruptcy filing. Uneasiness about the major US automaker's bankruptcy wiped out gains of more than 1 percent in the Dow industrials and the S&P 500.
Despite its slight decline, the broad S&P 500 index was on track for its best month in almost a decade. The S&P received substantial support from the results of companies like Dow Chemical Co, up almost 16 percent at $15.67 as the company's earnings handily beat estimates.
Shares of big-cap technology companies bolstered the Nasdaq along with module manufacturer First Solar Inc, whose stock jumped 22.4 percent to $185.80 after the company posted better-than-expected results. The Dow Jones industrial average shed 8.29 points, or 0.10 percent, to 8,177.44. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index edged down 0.49 of a point, or 0.06 percent, to 873.15. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 7.58 points, or 0.44 percent, to 1,719.52.