A modest increase in hiring lifted the markets to a higher open with the Dow adding 8 points to 10,644. Nasdaq rose 4 points to 2287.
On the upside
Second quarter earnings for Priceline.com (Nasdaq: PCLN) surged to surpass analyst expectations by a wide margin prompting an upgrade.
ExpressJet Holdings (NYSE: XJT) will be acquired by SkyWest for approximately $133 million in cash.
Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS) announced that it is exploring strategic options to increase shareholder value including the possibility of selling itself.
On the downside
Fourth quarter earnings soared for Super Micro Computer (Nasdaq: SMCI) but the results fell short of analyst expectations.
Drugstore.com (Nasdaq: DSCM) swung to a loss for the second quarter.
Pitney Bowes (NYSE: PBI) reported sharply lower second quarter earnings that missed analyst estimates by a wide margin prompting the company to lower its full year outlook.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of more than 2 to 1 on both the NYSE and on Nasdaq. The Russell 2000 which tracks small cap stocks rose 3 points to 659.
