Rising home prices lifted the markets to a higher open with the Dow gaining 16 points to 16,088. Nasdaq added 7 points to 4001.
On the upside
Echo Therapeutics (Nasdaq: ECTE) reported positive results from a clinical trial of its Symphony CGM System for monitoring glucose levels.
Shares of Camtek (Nasdaq: CAMT) continued rising.
Men's Wearhouse (NYSE: MW) offered a premium of approximately $1.5 billion in cash to acquire Jos. A. Bank Clothiers (Nasdaq: JOSB).
On the downside
Nuance Communications (Nasdaq: NUAN) fell to a loss for the fourth quarter and forecast current quarter results below analyst expectations.
JA Solar (Nasdaq: JASO) narrowed third quarter losses but the results missed estimates.
America First Multifamily Investors (Nasdaq: ATAX) priced its public offering of 7.2 million shares at the discounted price of $6.25 per share.
In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of more than 10 to 9 on the NYSE while advancers edged out decliners by nearly 10 to 9 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 edged up a fraction to 1803. Bitcoin climbed $63.89 or 7.85% to $877.90.
