Merck, which also reported solid earnings, gained 2 3/16, to 71 15/16.
Sales trends at Home Depot, the giant home improvement chain, which also reported earnings on Tuesday, underscored the trend.
HSBC, which also reported today, is up 5% following comments on an "excellent performance" in its investment banking arm.
VF, which also reported higher first-quarter results yesterday, said the Vans purchase would not add to 2004 earnings.
Sanyo Electric, which also reported earnings today, said that its net profit all but vanished in the last fiscal year, plunging 96percentto to 1.7 billion yen.
It plans $31bn of investment in 2009, compared with $20bn being made by BP, which also reported a sharp decline in first quarter profits this week.
United Nations authorities say that Turkey and Romania, which also reported recent bird deaths, quickly took action to control the disease.
Apple Computer, which also reported after the close of trading that its earnings had exceeded analysts' estimates, finished the session up $1.14 at $25.10.
The European problems, however, took a heavy toll on results at Fiat, which also reported earnings on Wednesday.
Barclays, which also reported earnings last Wednesday, said pretax profit for its investment bank rose 11 percent in the quarter.
Citigroup, which also reported on Friday, said it set aside about $250m in the period to cover energy-related losses.
