Crude oil prices retreated to weigh the markets down to a lower open with the Dow slipping 24 points to 17,189. Nasdaq lost 10 points to 4,738.

On the upside

GW Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: GWPH) reported positive results from a Phase 3 study of its cannabis based drug Epidiolex to treat Dravet syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy.

Apollo Global Management will pay a premium of approximately $1.36 billion in cash to acquire The Fresh Market (Nasdaq: TFM).

3D Systems (NYSE: DDD) reported a smaller than expected loss for the fourth quarter.

On the downside

Linn Energy (Nasdaq: LINE) stock fell for the third day in a row.

Gansu Huangtai Wine Marketing Industry is unable to proceed with NQ Mobile’s (NYSE: NQ) divestiture of FL Mobile.

Zacks Equity Research suggested selling Stone Energy (NYSE: SGY).

In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of nearly 5 to 3 on both the NYSE and on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 fell 8 points to 2,013. Bitcoin edged up to $413.