Falling oil prices lifted the markets to a higher open with the Dow rising 34 points to 14,858. Nasdaq gained 25 points to 3618.
On the upside
Verizon (NYSE: VZ) is considering paying approximately $130 billion to acquire Vodafone's (Nasdaq: VOD) 45% stake in Verizon Wireless.
Guesss (NYSE: GES) reported lower second quarter earnings but the results were better than expected.
Ford (NYSE: F) Fusion sales climbed 13% this year prompting the automaker to increase production of the midsize sedan.
On the downside
A patient in an early stage clinical trial of Arena Pharmaceuticals' (Nasdaq: ARNA) pulmonary arterial hypertension treatment APD811 experienced a heart rhythm disorder.
JA Solar Holdings (Nasdaq: JASO) narrowed second quarter losses but the results fell short of expectations.
The Fresh Market (Nasdaq: TFM) reported higher second quarter earnings but the company forecast full year earnings below estimates.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of more than 9 to 7 on the NYSE and by more than 2 to 1 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 gained 6 points to 1641.
