The markets opened mixed with the Dow losing 19 points to 20,904 while Nasdaq gained 15 points to 5,849 as labor productivity rose by a less than expected 1.3% in the fourth quarter.
On the upside
ParkerVision (Nasdaq: PRKR) has received three additional favorable rulings from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.
H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) reported a loss for the third quarter but the tax preparation company increased market share in the Assisted and DIY categories.
Fourth quarter earnings more than doubled for Children's Place (Nasdaq: PLCE) to beat analyst expectations and the company doubled its quarterly dividend.
On the downside
Express (NYSE: EXPR) reported sharply lower fourth quarter earnings as revenue dropped and warned of losses for the first quarter.
Ciena (NYSE: CIEN) reported first quarter earnings and revenue that fell short of analyst expectations.
Health Insurance Innovations (Nasdaq: HIIQ) priced a secondary offering of 3 million common shares at the discounted price of $14.00 per share.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of nearly 5 to 4 on the NYSE and by more than 5 to 2 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 index held steady at 2,368. Bitcoin tumbled $32 to $1,191.
