Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Open Higher; Groupon Issues Weak Outlook

Following the market opening Friday, the Dow traded up 0.32 percent to 16,184.28 while the NASDAQ surged 0.27 percent to 4,278.99. The S&P also rose, gaining 0.25 percent to 1,844.33. Leading and Lagging Sectors
In trading on Friday, technology shares were relative leaders, up on the day by about 0.37 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in energy sector included Microvision MVIS, with shares up 20.2 percent, and Aruba Networks ARUN, with shares up 7.1 percent. Shares of Aruba surged after the company reported quarterly results and announced an additional $200 million share repurchase authorization. Energy sector was the leading decliner in the US market today. Energy shares fell around 0.05 percent in today's trading. Among the energy stocks, Endeavour International END was down more than 9.5 percent, while Cabot Oil & Gas COG tumbled around 4.5 percent. Top Headline
After the closing bell Thursday, Groupon GRPN projected a surprise loss for the first quarter. For the first quarter, Groupon expected an adjusted loss of $0.02 to $0.04 per share on revenue of $710 to $760 million. However, analysts were projecting a profit of $0.06 per share on revenue of $668.7 million. Groupon posted a quarterly net loss of $81.2 million, versus a year-ago loss of $81.1 million. On a per share basis, it lost $0.12 per share. Excluding items, Groupon earned $0.04 per share. Its revenue climbed to $768.4 million. However, analysts projected earnings of $0.02 per share on revenue of $718 million. Equities Trading UP
Emeritus ESC shot up 37.37 percent to $29.48 after the company and Brookdale Senior Living BKD signed a definitive merger agreement. Shares of CommScope Holding Company COMM got a boost, shooting up 18.19 percent to $22.42 after the company reported Q4 results. Analysts at Jefferies upgraded the stock from Hold to Buy and lifted the price target from $17.50 to $25. DexCom DXCM was also up, gaining 7.21 percent to $46.56 after the company reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results. Equities Trading DOWN
Shares of Fleetmatics Group PLC FLTX were down 11.39 percent to $35.40 after the company issued a weak profit forecast. Groupon GRPN shares tumbled 15.75 percent to $8.66 after the company projected a surprise quarterly loss. Acacia Research ACTG was down, falling 8.26 percent to $13.67 on weaker-than-expected Q4 results. Commodities
In commodity news, oil traded down 0.10 percent to $103.21, while gold traded up 0.42 percent to $1,322.40. Silver traded up 0.30 percent Friday to $21.75, while copper fell 0.06 percent to $3.26. Euro zone
European shares were mostly higher today. The Spanish Ibex Index fell 0.06 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index declined 0.12 percent. Meanwhile, the German DAX climbed 0.11 percent and the French CAC 40 climbed 0.34 percent while U.K. shares gained 0.22 percent. Economics
Sales of existing homes declined 5.1% to an annual rate of 4.62 million in January, according to the National Association of Realtors. However, economists were projecting a rate of 4.67 million.