Producer prices edged up 0.3% to lift the markets to a higher open with the Dow rising 19 points to 19,910. Nasdaq gained 26 points to 5,573.
On the upside
Naked Brand Group (Nasdaq: NAKD) will merge with Bendon
LifeLab selected Transgenomic's (Nasdaq: TBIO) ICE COLD-PCR technology as its mutation enrichment platform for cancer testing.
Sanchez Energy (NYSE: SN) and Blackstone Energy Partners will acquire 155,000 acres in the Western Eagle Ford from Anadarko Petroleum for approximately $2.3 billion.
On the downside
GameStop (NYSE: GME) reported a sharp 16.4% drop in holiday same store sales.
Uranium Resources (Nasdaq: URRE) priced its public offering of approximately 4.8 million common shares at the discounted price of $2.01 per share.
Infosys (NYSE: INFY) lowered its full year revenue growth.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced declines by a margin of 5 to 3 on the NYSE and by 3 to 1 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 index rose 6 points to 2,277. Bitcoin added $1 to $811.