Service sector expansion slowed in October to weigh the markets down during the midday with the Dow slipping 12 points to 16,792. Nasdaq lost 5 points to 4,478.
On the upside
Shares of Regulus Therapeutics (Nasdaq: RGLS) continued soaring.
Bargain hunters snapped up shares of Layne Christensen (Nasdaq: LAYN).
Chembio Diagnostics (Nasdaq: CEMI) partnered with Integrated BioTherapeutics to develop point-of-care diagnostic tests for Ebola and febrile illness.
On the downside
Akebia (Nasdaq: AKBA) reported positive results from a Phase 2b trial of non-dialysis patients with anemia related chronic kidney disease treatment AKB-6548 but a high rate of serious adverse event reports raised concerns.
The re-election of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff weighed down shares of Centrais (NYSE: EBR) and Gafisa (NYSE: GFA).
Tenneco (NYSE: TEN) reported higher third quarter earnings that topped analyst estimates but the stock price fell.
In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of more than 7 to 5 on the NYSE and by a 9 to 7 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 slipped 4 points to 1959. Bitcoin added a point to $354.
Markets lower as service sector expansion slows
October 27, 2014 at 14:57 PM EDT