Thursday morning brought modest gains for major benchmarks as investors took more time to consider the impact of the Federal Reserve's decision yesterday to cut interest rates by a quarter percentage point. Positive economic data helped improve market sentiment, and many hope that the Fed's move will prevent a recession and help foster greater growth in the near future. As of 10:30 a.m. EDT, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) was up 91 points to 27,238. The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) gained 12 points to 3,019, and the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) picked up 54 points to 8,231.
Even with today's gains, businesses are still struggling to come up with the best strategies to maximize their prospects. AT&T (NYSE: T) is once again in the spotlight as investors try to guess whether it'll make a major strategic move with its DIRECTV satellite video business. Meanwhile, Diageo (NYSE: DEO) gave a warning about the current state of global trade that suggests there are still reasons for concern across the broader stock market.
Shares of AT&T were up about 1% in response to renewed reports that the telecom giant might be looking at a major strategic move involving its DIRECTV business. The possible outcome could be a sale or spinoff of DIRECTV -- something that could help to boost its share price, at least according to activist investors.