Jul. 21, 2010 (United Press International) -- U.S. markets opened soft Wednesday morning after Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) reported earnings were flat in the second quarter.
The drug maker said it earned $1.29 billion in the second quarter, a numerical repeat of the first quarter, with profits of 83 cents a share.
Prominent money management firm BlackRock said its earnings nearly doubled to $432 million in the quarter, due to its acquisition of Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Global Investors.
In midmorning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average lost 13.35 points, 0.13 percent, to 10,216.61. The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 1.99 or 0.18 percent, to 1,081.49. The Nasdaq composite index shed 14.27 points, 0.64 percent, to 2,208.22.
The benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose 7/32 to yield 2.932 percent.
The euro fell to $1.2795 from Tuesday's $1.2893. Against the yen, the dollar fell to 87.04 yen from Tuesday's 87.44 yen.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index lost 21.63 points or 0.23 percent to 9,278.83.
