NEW YORK (AFP)
Wall Street stocks climbed early Friday, keeping the market on track for weekly gains near the finale of an earnings season that has generally topped expectations.
With most major companies having already reported quarterly results, companies in the S&P 500 are on track for greater than eight per cent growth, compared with the 2.2 per cent forecast just ahead of the reporting period, said a note from CFRA Research.
CFRA's Sam Stovall said the results had reassured investors, who are "discounting the uncertainties and going along with the expectation that the economy is holding up better than people might be worrying about."
About 20 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.2 per cent at 44,064.76.
The broad-based S&P 500 climbed 0.5 per cent to 6,369.29, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 0.5 per cent to 21,354.56.
Stocks finished mixed on Thursday, with markets weighing the implications of President Donald Trump's latest tariff increases.
Among individual companies, Expedia rose 4.3 per cent as the travel company lifted its annual earnings and revenue projections. The company cited strength in advertising and its business-to-business bookings.