Upbeat earnings lifted the markets to a higher open with the Dow gaining 66 points to 12,293. Nasdaq climbed 17 points to 2821.
On the upside
Activist investor and Family Dollar Stores' (NYSE: FDO) largest shareholder Nelson Peltz's Trian Fund offered to take the discount retailer private for between $55 to $60 per share.
Fourth quarter earnings for Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) more than doubled to beat analyst expectations by a wide margin and the company forecast full year results that topped estimates.
