President Donald Trump vowed to be flexible with friendly nations regarding proposed tariffs. The markets opened higher with the Dow gaining 52 points to 24,853. Nasdaq climbed 26 points to 7422.
On the upside
Cigna (NYSE: CI) will acquire Express Scripts (Nasdaq: ESRX) in a cash and stock deal valued at approximately $67 billion.
Caesars Entertainment (Nasdaq: CZR) reversed year ago losses to post profit for the fourth quarter.
Okta (Nasdaq: OKTA) reported a smaller than expected loss for the fourth quarter.
On the downside
Kroger (NYSE: KR) disappointed with fourth quarter earnings that merely met analyst expectations and forecast full year earnings below estimates.
American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE: AEO) reported higher fourth quarter earnings that met expectations.
Profit taking weighed down shares of CF Industries (NYSE: CF).
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of 5 to 4 on the NYSE and by nearly 6 to 5 Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 gained 6 points to 2,732. Bitcoin tumbled $129 to $9,800.