The markets opened lower with the Dow losing 37 points to 15,590 as the nation's employers added fewer than expected jobs in July. Nasdaq slipped 3 points to 3672.
On the upside
Michael Dell increased his offer to acquire Dell (Nasdaq: DELL), the company that he founded, to $13.75 per share and added a special dividend of 13 cents per share.
Alaska Communications (Nasdaq: ALSK) swung to a better than expected profit for the second quarter as revenue rose.
Shares of Athlon Energy (NYSE: ATHL) soared in its market debut.
On the downside
ON Semiconductor (Nasdaq: ONNN) reported higher second quarter earnings but revenue fell to miss analyst expectations.
Alpha Natural Resources (NYSE: ANR) posted a loss for the second quarter as revenue fell and margins dropped.
Boyd Gaming (NYSE: BYD) priced its public offering of 16.5 million common shares at the discounted price of $12 per share.
In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of more than 7 to 5 on the NYSE and by more than 5 to 3 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 slipped 2 points to 1703.
