Opening Bell Report

The markets opened higher as investors mulled over a mixed batch of economic data which suggested overall economic resilience, but the housing sector remained weak.  The Dow added 40 points to 11,389 while Nasdaq leaped 20 points to 2300.

On the upside

Arch Coal (NYSE: ACI) posted 2nd quarter earnings that tripled due to the soaring price of coal and strong demand from China and India.

Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) reported slightly higher profits as the online DVD rental service provider spent less to sign up new customers.

Shares in Juniper Networks (Nasdaq: JNPR) surged after analysts upgraded the stock and its sector following an upbeat earnings report from the maker of networking equipment.

On the downside

Shares of Fannie Mae (NYSE: FNM) and Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE) fell following the latest report on foreclosures which doubled in number versus year-ago levels.

Shares of Crocs (Nasdaq: CROX) tumbled after the shoe company lowered its profit targets.  Analysts promptly downgraded the stock.

Surf apparel maker Volcom (Nasdaq: VLCM) lost its footing after posting lower 2nd quarter and cutting its outlook for the rest of the year.

In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of nearly 5 to 3 on the NYSE and by nearly 2 to 1 on Nasdaq.  The Russell 2000 which tracks small cap stocks added 5 points to 707.