The markets opened lower with the Dow slipping 18 points to 16,067 as retail sales over the Thanksgiving weekend fell for the first time since 2009. Nasdaq eased a point to 4058.
On the upside
Analysts expect Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) to soon be restored to France's blue chip CAC 40 index.
Zacks noted that Frontline (NYSE: FRO) stock soared in the past week.
Bargain hunters lifted shares of Ariad Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ARIA).
On the downside
Credit Suisse downgraded Petrobras (NYSE: PBR) from a Buy rating to a Sell rating.
Cobalt International Energy (NYSE: CIE) reported better than expected results from a natural gas well offshore Angola but concerns that the company violated the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act sent shares of the company tumbling.
Orexigen Therapeutics (Nasdaq: OREX) will offer $100 million in convertible senior notes.
In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of more than 5 to 3 on both the NYSE and on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 held steady at 1805. Bitcoin soared $93.56 or 9.73% to $1,055.56.
