The European Union announced stricter finance rules to prevent further debt problems. The markets opened modestly higher with the Dow rising 19 points to 10,087. Nasdaq gained 10 points to 2214.
On the upside
Paypal cofounder and hedge fund manager Peter Thiel acquired shares of Trico Marine Services (Nasdaq: TRMA) in the first quarter.
Ann Taylor (NYSE: ANN) reversed year ago losses to post a profit for the first quarter as revenue rose.
On the downside
Shares of Antigenics (Nasdaq: AGEN) continued falling as investors questioned its latest Oncophage study.
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers (Nasdaq: RRGB) reported higher first quarter earnings but revenue fell short and the casual dining chain cut its full year guidance.
Celldex (Nasdaq: CLDX) reported mixed results from a midstage trial of its brain cancer vaccine.
Peregrine Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: PPHM) will present data from four clinical trials of its cancer treatments at the 2010 ASCO Annual Meeting in June.
In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of nearly 3 to 2 on the NYSE and by more than 13 to 1 on Nasdaq. The Russell 2000 which tracks small cap stocks added a point to 641.