Despite upbeat earnings news, the markets closed modestly lower with
the
Dow losing 15 points to 12,571 as debt ceiling negotiations continued in Washington. Nasdaq fell 12
points to 2814.
On the upside
A Seeking Alpha article said that Oncothyreon's (Nasdaq: ONTY) lung cancer treatment Stimuvax is expected to report upbeat results from a Phase 3 clinical trial.
Second quarter earnings for United Rentals (NYSE: URI) more than doubled as revenue rose.
Rumors that Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) may be interested in acquiring InterDigital (Nasdaq: IDCC) lifted shares of the digital wireless technology solutions company.
Analysts expect YRC Worldwide (Nasdaq: YRCW) to post a second quarter loss on Friday.
Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) blamed one-time charges for a drop in third quarter earnings.
Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) offered a discounted price of $6 per share to acquire Icagen (Nasdaq: ICGN).