EBay Inc posted better-than-expected quarterly results after managing to slow a persistent deterioration in its main Web auctions and retail business, propelling its shares nearly 5 percent higher.

The Nasdaq rose on Wednesday for the 11th straight day, buoyed by solid profits from Apple Inc and Starbucks Corp , while disappointing bank results and declining energy shares weighed on the broader market.

Ben Bernanke put himself at odds with the Obama administration Wednesday by resisting its plan to create a consumer protection agency for risky financial products. The Federal Reserve chief said those responsibilities should stay with the central bank.

Shares of Starbucks Corp. soared after a number of analysts praised the company’s cost-cutting efforts following the gourmet coffee chain’s fiscal third-quarter profit report.

Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Stock Market: NYSE:

Shares of Starbucks Corp. soared Wednesday after a number of analysts praised the company’s cost-cutting efforts following the gourmet coffee chain’s fiscal third-quarter profit report.

Major business events and economic events scheduled for Thursday: WASHINGTON — Labor Department releases weekly jobless claims, 8:30 a.m.

Delta Air Lines Inc , the world’s biggest carrier, said on Wednesday it no longer expects to make money this year, while AirTran Holdings posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit and saw its shares jump more than 16 percent.

Shares of MKS Instruments Inc. jumped Wednesday after the maker of analysis and processing equipment for semiconductor companies posted better-than-expected results for the second quarter.

Shares of Human Genome Sciences Inc. rose Wednesday after the biotechnology company said the U.S. government placed an additional $151 million order for the inhaled anthrax treatment ABthrax.