Higher open as oil prices rise

Crude oil prices edged up to lift the markets to a modestly higher open with the Dow adding 5 points to 17,137. Nasdaq rose 6 points to 4,845.

On the upside

Wausau Paper (NYSE: WPP) will be acquired by SCA for a premium of approximately $513 million in cash.

China Jo-Jo Drugstores (Nasdaq: CJJD) reported that online pharmacy sales surged 438% in the first half of the year.

Bloomberg reported that Molson Coors Brewing (NYSE: TAP) will have the right of first and last offer to purchase SABMiller's 58% interest in their joint venture MillerCoors.

On the downside

HeartWare International (Nasdaq: HTWR) will not re-initiate enrollment in a halted MVAD clinical trial in November as previously expected.

Ryder System (NYSE: R) cut its third quarter and full year earnings outlook and forecast fourth quarter earnings below expectations.

JPMorgan downgraded JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq: JBLU) from an Overweight rating to a Neutral rating.

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 2,017. Bitcoin rose $3 to $247.