Dismal earnings and a sharp drop in durable goods orders weighed the markets down to a lower close with the Dow falling 43 points to 14,676. Nasdaq held steady at 3269.
On the upside
Supervalu (NYSE: SVU) widened fourth quarter losses but analysts expect performance to improve as the grocery store chain transitions into a leaner company.
Magnum Hunter Resources (NYSE: MHR) completed the sale of its Eagle Ford Shale properties for $401 million.
Rising gold and silver prices lifted shares of Gold Fields (NYSE: GFI), Harmony Gold (NYSE: HMY), Hecla Mining (NYSE: HL) and Turquoise Hill Resources (NYSE: TRQ).
On the downside
Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) reported higher first quarter earnings and revenue but the results fell short of analyst expectations.
Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN) reported higher first quarter earnings but revenue missed expectations while expenses climbed prompting Piper Jaffary to downgrade the biotechnology company.
DeVry (NYSE: DV) disappointed with lower third quarter earnings and revenue as new undergraduate enrollment tumbled.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of more than 2 to 1 on the NYSE and by more than 9 to 7 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 index held steady at 1578.
