Buyers halt the markets recent retreat, with the S&P 500 holding
with a modest gain. The telecom sector is surging 4.2%, thanks to
strength in AT&T (+1.69) -- the S&P 500's best-performing name this session.
The tech sector is outperforming with a gain of 0.9%.
EMC Corp (+1.33) is up 11% due to its better-than-expected
second quarter results. The gains come despite a plunge in shares of
EMC's 86% holding VMware (-2.72), which reported disappointing earnings.