The Dow Jones industrial average was flat in Wednesday trading, closing at 17,403.

The S&P 500 rose two points to 2,086.

The Nasdaq rose eight points to 5,044.

The LABJ Stock Index was flat at 236.

Gainers and Losers

Wednesday’s biggest local gainer was Ceres Inc. Shares of the Thousand Oaks company more than doubled, rising 116 percent on the day, to close at $2.06 after the company announced it had secured a patent for a system used to genetically modify crops.

The day’s biggest loser was American Apparel Inc. Shares of the downtown Los Angeles apparel maker fell 37 percent to close at 13 cents Wednesday, a day after the company reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission that it will miss the deadline to file its most recent quarterly report because of ongoing negotiations with lenders. The company also told the SEC it does not have the cash it needs to continue operating for the next year and will need to raise new capital to continue.