The markets opened modestly higher with the Dow rising 9 points to 19,908 as hourly wages edged up 0.4% in December. Nasdaq gained 21 points to 5,509.
On the upside
Shares of EnteroMedics (Nasdaq: ETRM) surged again.
JMP Securities upgraded Zafgen (Nasdaq: ZFGN) from an Underperform rating to a Market Perform rating.
Pacira Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: PCRX) reported higher preliminary fourth quarter and full year revenue.
On the downside
J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP) reported a 0.8% drop in holiday same store sales.
COPsync (Nasdaq: COYN) announced a $1.15 million registered direct offering.
Ruby Tuesday (NYSE: RT) widened second quarter losses as revenue dropped.
In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of nearly 5 to 3 on the NYSE and by more than 9 to 7 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 index added a point to 2,270. Bitcoin plummeted $100 to $895.