The markets edged up during the midday with the Dow adding 2 points to 20,936. Nasdaq rose 5 points to 5,906.
As part of its plans to reduce its footprint, J.C. Penney will close 138 stores nationwide. Liquidation sales will begin on April 17 with stores expected to shutter their doors in June. Approximately 5,000 jobs will be eliminated but the department store said that some workers will be offered opportunities to transfer.
Alexa will become available on Amazon's iPhone app next week. Users can launch the voice assistant by tapping on the microphone icon within the Amazon app. Alexa will be fully functional with the ability to control smart home products, make online purchases and provide information about the weather, sports and news.
The European Commission said that Facebook, Google, Twitter and other social media companies must amend their terms of service for European users in order to comply with European Union consumer rules. The technology companies have been under fire for their service terms, privacy policies, and how they respond to illegal or threatening online posts. Fines will be imposed for noncompliance.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of nearly 3 to 2 on the NYSE and by more than 10 to 9 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 index held steady at 2,381. Bitcoin tumbled $18 to $1,156.
