The markets advanced during the midday with the Dow climbing 77 points to 14,853 as investors continued to monitor the Syrian situation. Nasdaq gained 27 points to 3605.

On the upside

Accuray (Nasdaq: ARAY) narrowed fourth quarter losses as new product orders increased.

Seeking Alpha noted that Baker Bros. increased their holdings in Halozyme Therapeutics (Nasdaq: HALO).

Express (NYSE: EXPR) reported higher second quarter earnings as revenue rose.

On the downside

AutoNavi Holdings (Nasdaq: AMAP) reported sharply lower second quarter earnings that fell short of analyst expectations.

Investors locked in profits on Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partner (Nasdaq: CPRX).

JPMorgan downgraded Taser International (Nasdaq: TASR) from an Overweight rating to a Neutral rating.

In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of more than 5 to 3 on both the NYSE and on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 climbed 10 points to 1640.