The markets were slightly higher today as investors responded to a number of unscheduled news events that happened around the world. A Russian ambassador was assassinated, and there were reports of a truck plowing through a shopping center in Berlin which turned out to be accurate. With this all happening the Dow 30 was still able to gain 41, the S&P 500 4, and the Nasdaq 100 was the best performer, up 20. Tomorrow will likely continue to see lower volume as the Christmas holiday nears.

Disney (DIS  ) shares were higher today as reports came out that the new "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" made an estimated $155 million in box office sales in North America over the weekend. If this is accurate then it would mean the second biggest December opening in history for movies. Shares were up 1.35% on the news.

Lennar (LEN  ) had a wild day of trade today as investors responded to the earnings beat on both its top and bottom lines for its quarter. Revenue was higher by 15% from a year ago as the company was able to sell more homes at higher prices. The company said it "expects to benefit from its strong balance sheet, despite a potential rise in interest rates over the next several years." Shares started higher on the day but by the close were down 0.05%.

BlackBerry (BBRY  ) shares were higher today by 1.72% as the company announced it would be getting into the self driving car space. The once popular smartphone maker is opening a research center that will focus on developing advanced driver assistance and autonomous vehicle technology. Today's news just proves that BlackBerry will try anything to become relevant again.

Allied World Assurance (AWH  ) shares were one of the big winners today as the Switzerland based insurance firm announced it will be bought by Canada's Fairfax Financial for $4.9 billion in cash and stock. Shares were higher by 13.08% today hitting new highs on the news.