Disappointing earnings news along with weak outlooks weighed the markets down to a lower open with the Dow falling 53 points to 12,186. Nasdaq lost 14 points 2775.
On the upside
Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) reported sharply higher fourth quarter earnings that surpassed analyst expectations as revenue climbed.
Sequenom's (Nasdaq: SQNM) "Noninvasive detection of fetal trisomy 21 by sequencing of DNA in maternal blook: a study in a clinical setting" was published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.