In early afternoon trade on Wall Street on Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.18 percent higher to 13,590.44, while the Nasdaq Composite had gained 0.09 percent to 2,659.17 and the S&P 500 was up 0.07 percent to 1,526.53.
The news that Advanced Medical Optics (NYSE: EYE) had bid more than private equity for rival eye-care products group Bausch & Lomb (NYSE: BOL) sent shares in both lower.
Advanced Medical Optics dropped 96 cents to $34.93, while Bausch & Lomb was down 16 cents to $71.84.
The pharmaceuticals sector declined on the session.
Schering-Plough (NYSE: SGP) dropped 2 cents to $30.55, while Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) fell 13 cents to $25.77 and Merck was 61 cents lower to $49.21.
Retailers were higher, however.
Discount retailer Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) added 25 cents to $48.34, while home improvement retailer Home Depot (NYSE: HD) gained 50 cents to $40.33. Macy’s (NYSE: M) was $1.75 higher to $41.52 and Target (NYSE: TGT) was up $2.67 to $66.88.