A massive earthquake in Japan weighed the markets down to a lower open with the Dow falling 20 points to 11,963. Nasdaq slipped 2 points to 2698.
On the upside
Japan's second largest toy company Tomy will pay $27.90 per share in cash to acquire U. S. toy maker RC2 (Nasdaq: RCRC).
Leonard Green & Partners offered $19.09 per share to take 99 Cents Only Stores (NYSE: NDN) private.
AnnTaylor Stores (NYSE: ANN) reported higher fourth quarter earnings that topped analyst estimates as revenue climbed.
On the downside