The nation's trade deficit fell by a more than expected 3.2% in December to lift the markets to a higher open with the Dow soaring 93 points to 20,145. Nasdaq gained 20 points to 5,684.
On the upside
Real Goods Solar (Nasdaq: RGSE) completed its $11.5 million public offering.
RDInvesting wrote that biotechnology stocks were poised to soar in 2017 and noted that MYOS RENS Technology (Nasdaq: MYOS) had recently spiked.
Shares of Concordia International (Nasdaq: CXRX) climbed for the sixth day.
On the downside
Michael Kors (NYSE: KORS) disappointed with lower third quarter revenue that fell short of expectations and forecast current quarter results below estimates.
Sabre (Nasdaq: SABR) reported sharply lower fourth quarter earnings that missed analyst expectations.
Shares of comScore (Nasdaq: SCOR) extended its losses.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of more than 7 to 5 on both the NYSE and on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 index gained 6 points to 2,298. Bitcoin soared $23 to $1,038.