The markets traded mixed during the midday with the Dow slipping 16 points to 21,624. Nasdaq rose 8 points to 6,393.
The Treasury Department fined ExxonMobil $2 million for violating sanctions against Russia. The global oil company entered into contracts with the president of Russian energy company Rosneft, Igor Sechin, in May 2014 after he had been blacklisted by the United States. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was the chief executive of ExxonMobil at the time of the deals.
A district judge dismissed a breach of contract lawsuit filed by Comerica against Bombardier. The financial services company claimed that the aircraft maker owed $10.1 million to Comerica for four jet leases. The judged said that Comerica failed to show that the jets had been returned to the lessor.
Facebook is working with news publishers to create a subscription business model on the social media site. News organizations have been advocating for more control over the presentation of their content and product offerings. A tool to offer subscription services is being developed by Facebook for publishers.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of nearly 5 to 4 on both the NYSE and on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 added 2 points to 2,476. Bitcoin surged $309 to $2563.
