Markets soar on ECB bond buying program

The markets advanced during the midday with the Dow soaring 121 points to 17,675 as investors welcomed the European Central Bank's plan to buy 60 billion euros in bonds every month until September 2016. Nasdaq climbed 34 points to 4,702.

On the upside

The Financial Post reported that Samsung has engaged in possible acquisition discussions with BlackBerry (Nasdaq: BBRY).

eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) reported higher fourth quarter earnings and revenue and announced plans to eliminate 2,400 jobs.

Fourth quarter earnings and revenue rose for Janus Capital Group (NYSE: JNS) to beat analyst expectations.

On the downside

Falling crude oil prices weighed down shares of EV Energy Partners (Nasdaq: EVEP).

Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) disappointed with lower fourth quarter earnings and revenue that fell short of expectations.

First quarter earnings slipped for Dolby Laboratories (NYSE: DLB) and the company forecast current quarter earnings below estimates.

In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of more than 5 to 2 on the NYSE and by more than 5 to 3 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 climbed 12 points to 2044. Bitcoin added $6 to $232.