The markets traded lower during the midday with the Dow tumbling 69 points to 17,433 as first time applications for jobless claims rose last week. Nasdaq fell 16 points to 4,752.
On the upside
The addition of a new director to Pandora Media's (NYSE: P) board sparked speculation that the company was exploring a possible sale.
Zacks Equity Research noted that Apricus Biosciences (Nasdaq: APRI) has climbed 12.2% over the past four weeks.
A federal judge criticized the Federal Trade Commission in the anti-trust suit to block the proposed merger between Staples (Nasdaq: SPLS) and Office Depot (Nasdaq: ODP).
On the downside
Sigma Designs (Nasdaq: SIGM) fell to a loss for the fourth quarter as revenue dropped.
Investors locked in profits on Pernix Therapeutics (Nasdaq: PTX).
Profit taking weighed down shares of Celator Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: CPXX).
In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of more than 5 to 3 on the NYSE by more than 5 to 4 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 fell 10 points to 2,026. Bitcoin slipped $1 to $416.
