US stocks high

US stocks were higher in afternoon trading on Wednesday after a report that Germany may be satisfied with Greece committing to at least one economic reform in return for aid. All three major indexes rose more than 1 per cent on the same day for the first time in a month. The German government may settle for a clear commitment by Greece to a measure up front to unlock aid, citing two people familiar with Germany's position. At 13:11pm ET (1711 GMT) the Dow Jones industrial average was up 255.14 points, or 1.44 per cent, at 18,019.18, the S&P 500 was up 26.69 points, or 1.28 per cent, at 2,106.84 and the Nasdaq Composite was up 68.70 points, or 1.37 per cent, at 5,082.56. All the 10 major S&P 500 sectors were higher. Microsoft increased 2.3 per cent, while Goldman Sachs's 1.9 per cent rise was the biggest driver on Dow. HCC Insurance Holdings shares rose 36.2 per cent to $77.22. Netflix was up 5.4 per cent at $681.85. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners on the NYSE by 2,351 to 659. On the Nasdaq, 2,095 issues rose and 623 fell. The Nasdaq recorded 152 highs and 27 lows, according to Reuters.