The markets advanced during the midday with the Dow gaining 34 points to 17,942 as consumer prices edged up 0.1% in March. Nasdaq rose 6 points to 4,954.

On the upside

Stratasys (Nasdaq: SSYS) stock climbed after Bank of America upgraded fellow 3D printer maker 3D Systems (NYSE: DDD).

DragonWave (Nasdaq: DRWI) successfully completed five customer trials of its newly launched Harmony Enhanced MC dual carrier product.

First Republic Bank (NYSE: FRC) reported higher first quarter earnings and revenue that beat expectations.

On the downside

Investors locked in profits on Vale (NYSE: VALE).

Gold prices slipped to weigh down shares of Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX).

An investor expects the Food and Drug Administration to reject Chiasma's (Nasdaq: CHMA) acromegaly treatment Mycapssa.

In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of nearly 10 to 9 on the NYSE and by 9 to 7 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 added 2 points to 2,085. Bitcoin added $1 to $423.