The Los Angeles Business Journal’s index of largest local public companies closed up slightly for the week ended Dec. 17, just before President Obama signed legislation extending tax cuts and jobless benefits.

The weighted LABJ index rose 0.35 percent to 117.16, with gainers outpacing decliners 102 to 72.

Among the biggest gainers was Ixia, which jumped more than 16 percent to $18.13 as Deutsche Bank initiated coverage of the Calabasas maker of network testing hardware with a “buy” recommendation.

MannKind Corp. was up 11 percent to $8.02 as investors speculated whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would approve the Valencia biotech’s inhaled insulin drug by Dec. 29.

CyberDefender Corp. gained 9.6 percent to $2.96. The Los Angeles maker of Internet security software secured a $5 million line of credit to support growth and marketing efforts.

Amgen Inc. rose 7.5 percent to $57.42. The Thousand Oaks biotech released positive clinical trial results for its osteoporosis drug as a treatment for bone loss related to prostate cancer.

Among decliners was Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., where management successfully fended off a proxy battle from its largest shareholder, activist billionaire Carl Icahn. Shares dropped 10 percent to $6.63, after Icahn abandoned his $7.50 a share tender offer to acquire the Santa Monica film studio headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia.