On the upside
Sporting goods retailer The Finish Line (Nasdaq: FINL) posted lower revenues and a slim quarterly loss.
An analyst upgraded Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC). The company sells recreational boats and exercise equipment.
Unilever offered $1.88 billion to buy several product lines from Sara Lee (NYSE: SLE).
On the downside
Shares of Research in Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM) fell sharply after the maker of the popular Blackberry mobile devices posted higher revenues and earnings, but offered a cautious outlook.
Hewlett Packard (NYSE: HPQ) offered a 2010 forecast with revenue targets that were slightly lower and earnings that were higher.
Pennsylvania-based Metro Bancorp (Nasdaq: METR) offered 6.2 milion shares at $12 apiece.
In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of 5 to 4 on both the NYSE and Nasdaq. The Russell 2000 which tracks small cap stocks lost a fraction to 601.