The markets opened lower with the Dow falling 45 points to 12,727 as corporations begin reporting earnings after market close. Nasdaq lost 8 points to 2928. On the upside
WellPoint (NYSE: WLP) will pay approximately $4.46 billion in cash to acquire Amerigroup (NYSE: AGP). Roth Capital upgraded Nanosphere (Nasdaq: NSPH) to a Buy rating. Thomson Reuters (NYSE: TRI) will pay a premium of approximately $625 million in cash to acquire FX Alliance (NYSE: FX). On the downside Profit taking sank shares of Patriot Coal (NYSE: PCX). The Western Association of Schools and Colleges denied accreditation for Bridgepoint Education's (NYSE: BPI) Ashford University. FBR Capital Markets downgraded SolarWinds (NYSE: SWI) to Market Perform from Outperform. In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of nearly 5 to 2 on both the NYSE and on Nasdaq. The Russell 2000 which tracks small cap stocks dropped 5 points to 801.