Stocks scored strong gains for a second straight day as market participants anticipated good news in upcoming corporate earnings. Red Hat and Micron were among the tech companies reporting results that topped expectations. Amazon upgraded to outperform from neutral and rose 3.5%.RIMM slumped 10.4% in the late trading after its earnings forecast missed expectations. Oracle rose 4.1% in volatile trading as it posted a sharp increase in Q3 profit that topped Wall Street estimates.
For the third straight session share volume was light. That should pick up in coming sessions as money managers reposition their portfolios for quarter's end. Implied volatility inched lower again.
