On The Fly: Top stock stories at midday

Stocks on Wall Street were lower at midday, but not by much, as the market mostly shook off a new set of threats from North Korea. On the economic front, the first look at PMI data for September was mixed, with Europe posting strong numbers and the U.S. figures less inspiring but not bad either. ECONOMIC EVENTS: In the U.S., Markit's flash manufacturing PMI for September edged up 0.2 points to 53.0, matching the consensus forecast. The services PMI fell to 55.1, however, which was down 0.9 points from the last reading and below the 55.8 that was expected. In Europe, the composite PMI hit 56.7, with the manufacturing component reading of 58.2 and services component reading of 55.6 both topping expectations. COMPANY NEWS: Shares of First Solar (FSLR) advanced over 6% after the International Trade Commission determined that silicon solar power cells are being imported into the U.S. in such quantities that present a serious injury, or threat of injury, to the domestic industry. As a result, the investigation will move to a remedy phase, after which tariffs may be set on imported solar products... Apple (AAPL) is falling another 1% today as the iPhone 8 starts appearing on the shelves of the company's retail stores. Compared to prior years, however, this isn't setting off a frenzy or resulting in long lines, presumably because many buyers are still waiting for the company's high-end iPhone X. MAJOR MOVERS: Among the notable gainers was Finish Line (FINL), which gained 7% after the company reported quarterly earnings that were in-line with expectations. Also higher was Ascendis Pharma (ASND), which gained 29% after its competitor, Versartis (VSAR), reported that its Phase 3 trial testing a long-acting growth hormone as a treatment for pediatric growth hormone deficiency failed. Versartis, whose management reportedly indicated there was no path forward with this trial and no current plans for an additional trial, was downgraded by multiple research firms and the stock plunged 86%. Also lower was Wayfair (W), which has slid 8% after short seller Citron Research highlighted on Twitter an academic paper on the company's valuation. Citron has made cautious reports about Wayfair in several previously published reports. INDEXES: Near midday, the Dow was down 29.89, or 0.13%, to 22,329.34, the Nasdaq was down 3.70, or 0.06%, to 6,419.00, and the S&P 500 was down 1.46, or 0.06%, to 2,499.14.