The markets opened higher with the Dow gained 58 points to 21,467 as Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen testified before Congress. Nasdaq climbed 45 points to 6,238.
On the upside
NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG) announced a three-year plan to sell up to $4 billion in assets.
Cara Therapeutics (Nasdaq: CARA) reported positive results from a Phase 1 trial of Oral CR845 to treat chronic kidney disease associated pruritus.
Bargain hunters continued to snap up shares of Atwood Oceanics (NYSE: ATW).
On the downside
MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE: MSM) reported third quarter revenue that fell short of expectations and forecast current quarter earnings below estimates.
Bernstein downgraded Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG) from an Outperform rating to a Market Perform rating and cut its price target from $62 to $55.
The Food and Drug Administration issued a Complete Response Letter to Ocular Therapeutix (Nasdaq: OCUL) for its re-submitted New Drug Application for Dextenza.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of nearly 8 to 1 on the NYSE and by nearly 5 to 1 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 climbed 10 points to 2,435. Bitcoin rose $12 to $2338.
