It was a mixed open for the markets with the Dow losing 29 points to 16,384 while Nasdaq added 7 points to 4233 as investors digested corporate earnings reports.
On the upside
Shares of ThermoGenesis (Nasdaq: KOOL) continued rising.
Nuance Communications (Nasdaq: NUAN) lifted its first quarter earnings and revenue outlook.
VisionChina Media (Nasdaq: VISN) entered an agreement to be the exclusive digital mobile television advertising partner for Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU).
On the downside
Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) swung to a profit for the fourth quarter but the company forecast current quarter revenue below analyst expectations.
Coach (NYSE: COH) disappointed with lower fourth quarter earnings and revenue that fell short of analyst expectations.
Penn West Petroleum (NYSE: PWE) forecast lower production volume for 2014.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of more than 9 to 7 on the NYSE while decliners barely edged out advancers by a slim margin on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 edged up a fraction to 1844. Bitcoin eased $33.00 or 3.53% to $936.00.