Crude oil prices edged up to lift the markets to a higher open with the Dow gaining 87 points to 15,854. Nasdaq climbed 28 points to 4,500.
On the upside
TrovaGene (Nasdaq: TROV) entered an agreement to offer its (ct)DNA Precision Cancer Monitoring tests and and services to America’s Choice Provider Network patients.
Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI) fell to a loss for the fourth quarter and slashed its quarterly dividend but the stock price rose.
Southwestern Energy (NYSE: SWN) will eliminate 1,100 jobs in order to save approximately $150 million to $175 million annually.
On the downside
Alkermes (Nasdaq: ALKS) reported disappointing results from two phase 3 efficacy studies of its depression treatment ALKS 5461.
Scholastic (Nasdaq: SCHL) terminated its offer to buy up to $200 million of its common stock through a modified Dutch Auction.
Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) disappointed with lower fourth quarter earnings and revenue that fell short of expectations.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of more than 7 to 5 on the NYSE while decliners edged out advancers by more than 10 to 9 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 dropped 8 points to 1,851. Bitcoin lost $2 to $414.