The markets retreated to trade near the flatline with the Dow easing 2 points to 12,055 as investors monitored volatile crude oil prices. Nasdaq rose 9 points to 2746.

On the upside

Investopedia listed Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) among the top five performing technology stocks in February.

Royale Energy (Nasdaq: ROYL) sold certain assets in Kern County, California but retained royalty on the acreage.

Shares of Hercules Offshore (Nasdaq: HERO) climbed after the government issued the first new permit for deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico since the Deepwater Horizon disaster last April.

On the downside