A sharp increase in November housing starts lifted the markets to a higher open with the Dow soaring 106 points to 17,631. Nasdaq gained 23 points to 5,019.
On the upside
Array BioPharma (Nasdaq: ARRY) reported positive results from a Phase 3 clinical trial of binimetinib to treat advanced NRAS-mutant melanoma.
China Finance Online (Nasdaq: JRJC) swung to a profit for the third quarter as revenue surged.
Shares of SolarCity (Nasdaq: SCTY) and SunEdison (NYSE: SUNE) continued soaring in reaction to the Paris climate change agreement this weekend.
On the downside
Global Payments (NYSE: GPN) will pay approximately $4.3 billion to acquire Heartland Payment Systems (NYSE: HPY).
Shares of Banco Bradesco (NYSE: BBD) and Itau Unibanco (NYSE: ITUB) continued falling over concerns that Brazil’s credit rating may be cut.
Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK) reported preliminary results of its private exchange offers.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of more than 3 to 1 on the NYSE and by nearly 3 to 1 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 climbed 14 points to 2,057. Bitcoin lost $7 to $452.
