On the upside
Century Aluminum (Nasdaq: CENX) announced the termination of Senior Vice President of Business Development Giulio Casello effective April 30, 2009.Melco Crown Entertainment (Nasdaq: MPEL) introduced its Quality of Life program that offers employees the option of a compressed workweek.
Charming Shoppes (Nasdaq: CHRS) named James Fogarty to the position of chief executive, replacing Dorrit J. Bern who resigned from the women's apparel retailer in July 2008.
On the downside
Hutchinson Technology (Nasdaq: HTCH) reported sharply lower second quarter sales and announced that Seagate Technology will no longer purchase suspension assemblies from Hutchinson.
Roth Capital downgraded Alkermes (Nasdaq: ALK) over concerns that a diabetes medication in development may cause thyroid cancer.
AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE: AU) warned that its first quarter production is below guidance.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of 10 to 9 on the NYSE while decliners edged out advancers by more than 10 to 9 on Nasdaq. The Russell 2000 which tracks small cap stocks eased a point to 449.