Worker productivity rose in the third quarter but the markets opened lower with the Dow slipping 9 points to 24,171 as crude oil prices continued to slide. Nasdaq dropped 20 points to 6,742.
On the upside
UnitedHealth Group will pay approximately $4.9 billion in cash to acquire the primary care unit of DaVita (NYSE: DVA).
Dave & Busters Entertainment (Nasdaq: PLAY) reported higher third quarter earnings that topped analyst estimates as revenue rose.
H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) reported a smaller than expected loss for the second quarter.
On the downside
The Federal Trade Commission has filed a complaint to prevent Tronox (NYSE: TROX) from acquiring the titanium dioxide business of Cristal.
Veeva Systems (Nasdaq: VEEV) reported higher third quarter earnings and revenue but the stock price fell.
Investors locked in profits on Patterson Companies (Nasdaq: PDCO).
In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of nearly 6 to 5 on the NYSE and by 4 to 3 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 slipped 3 points to 2,626. Bitcoin rocketed $674 to $12,404.