The markets turned negative during the midday with the Dow losing 34 points to 16,383 despite little economic news as investors continued to monitor global developments. Nasdaq slipped 7 points to 4326.
On the upside
La Jolla Pharmaceutical (Nasdaq: LJPC) reported positive results from a Phase 2 clinical trial of its chronic kidney disease treatment GCS-100.
Northwest Biotherapeutics (Nasdaq: NWBO) extended its gains.
A rally in the alternative fuels sector sent shares of Clean Diesel Technologies (Nasdaq: CDTI) and Ocean Power Technologies (Nasdaq: OPTT) soaring.
On the downside
Plug Power (NYSE: PLUG) completed its registered offering of approximately 3.9 million common shares.
Profit taking sank shares of Arotech (Nasdaq: ARTX).
Investors locked in profits on Ballard Power Systems (Nasdaq: BLDP).
In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of more than 5 to 3 on the NYSE and by nearly 2 to 1 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 lost 4 points to 1872. Bitcoin added $4.40 or 0.71% to $620.98.