Jobless claims unexpectedly fell last week to lift the markets to a modestly higher close with the Dow rising 18 points to 17,926. Nasdaq slipped a point to 4,945.
On the upside
Calgon Carbon (NYSE: CCC) will acquire the wood-based activated carbon reactivation and mineral-based filtration media business of CECA.
Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) reported lower first quarter earnings and revenue that fell short of expectations but the stock price rose.
Shares of Alcoa (NYSE: AA) rose for the third day in a row.
On the downside
Breitburn Energy Partners (Nasdaq: BBEP) suspended distributions on its preferred shares and deferred an interest payment.
The Houston Municipal Employees Pension System filed a class action lawsuit against BofI (Nasdaq: BOFI) for allegedly engaging in illegal lending practices.
Investors locked in profits on Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (NYSE: SID).
In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of nearly 9 to 7 on the NYSE while decliners barely edged out advancers by a slim margin on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 held steady at 2,082. Bitcoin added $1 to $423.