Stocks bent higher although trade remained mixed as investors looked toward January auto sales data due out this afternoon. The Nasdaq climbed 1.1%. The S&P 500 stretched up 1% as did the Dow Jones industrial average, led by Bank of America (BAC). Trade continued to strengthen on the NYSE, but remained down about 10% on the Nasdaq compared to action at the same time Thursday. IBD 50 stocks moved generally higher, led by Ixia (XXIA), which jumped