A small spark was ignited in the technology sector as rumors have stirred up that Steve Jobs is ready to return to Apple (AAPL) from his medical leave. These rumors sent the Technology Select Sector SPDR (XLK) up about 1% in morning trading; AAPL is 6.7%.
In the mining world, mining giants Rio Tinto (RTP) and BHP Billiton (BHP) have agreed to a joint venture where they will share, equally, assets in the Western Australian iron ore region. This deal is expected to trim costs and save both companies nearly $10 billion. The news sent the Market Vectors Steel ETF (SLX) up nearly 2% in morning trading; RTP is 12.3%.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up about 0.5%, the S&P 500 was up about 0.1% and the Nasdaq was down nearly 0.1% in morning trading.
Kevin Grewal contributed to this article.