Major Averages Holding On To Modest Gains In Early Afternoon Trading WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Buying interest has waned from earlier in the session, but stocks remain mostly positive in early afternoon trading on Thursday. With the upward move, the major averages are adding to the gains posted in the previous session. Currently, the major averages are holding on to modest gains. The Dow is up 151.17 points or 0.4 percent at 34,474.22, the Nasdaq is up 28.01 points or 0.2 percent at 13,766.00 and the S&P 500 is up 13.66 points or 0.3 percent at 4,209.65. The strength on Wall Street may partly reflect continued optimism about the economy after the Labor Department released a report showing weekly jobless claims once again fell to a new pandemic-era low.