The markets opened lower with the Dow losing 36 points to 19,875 as retail sales edged up a disappointing 0.1% in November. Nasdaq eased a point to 5,462.
On the upside
The Food and Drug Administration approved Vericel's (Nasdaq: VCEL) MACI to treat articular cartilage defects in the knee.
NeuStar (NYSE: NSR) will be taken private by an investment group led by Golden Gate Capital in a deal valued at approximately $2.9 billion including the assumption of debt.
BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics (Nasdaq: BCLI) presented positive data from a Phase 2 study of NurOwn to treat ALS.
On the downside
Profit taking weighed down shares of Neovasc (Nasdaq: NVCN).
Investors locked in profits on Gulfmark Offshore (NYSE: GLF).
Callon Petroleum (NYSE: CPE) increased its public offering to 40 million common shares and priced the offering at the discounted price of $16.40 per share.
In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of 9 to 7 on the NYSE and by nearly 9 to 7 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 index lost 4 points to 2,267. Bitcoin held steady at $773.