Upbeat earnings lifted the markets to a higher open with the Dow gaining 77 points to 18,573. Nasdaq rose 13 points to 5,217.
On the upside
Macy's (NYSE: M) reported better than expected earnings for the second quarter and announced plans to close 100 stores.
Kura Oncology (Nasdaq: KURA) reported encouraging results from a Phase 2 trial of tipifarnib to treat HRAS mutant solid tumors.
Kohl's (NYSE: KSS) reported higher second quarter earnings that topped analyst estimates.
On the downside
Quorum Health (NYSE: QHC) fell to a loss for the second quarter.
Amarin (Nasdaq: AMRN) priced its public offering of 21.1 million American Depositary Shares at the discounted price of $2.85 per ADS.
Avinger (Nasdaq: AVGR) priced its public offering of 8.572 million common shares at the discounted price of $3.50 per share.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of more than 3 to 2 on the NYSE and by more than 7 to 5 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 gained 6 points to 2,181. Bitcoin added $3 to $594.