Google to Pay New CFO $70M Over Two Years; Stocks Open Midly Higher

U.S. stocks tried to break their losing streak, starting mildly higher at Friday's opening bell. Investors will be listening closely as Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen speaks at a Fed conference in San Francisco. Her speech starts at 3:45 pm, eastern. The U.S. economy slowed in the fourth quarter as previously estimated. The third estimate of GDP expanded at 2.2%, unrevised from last month’s forecast. BlackBerry (BBRY) is starting the day sharply higher after reporting a surprise profit in the fourth quarter. Wall Street was expecting a loss from the smartphone maker. BlackBerry’s revenue did continue to slide, down 30% from year ago. Google (GOOG) will pay its new Chief Financial Officer more than $70 million over the next two years. The pay package includes salary, restricted stock and bonuses. Ruth Porat joins the tech giant from Morgan Stanley (MS).