Stocks are edging mostly higher as traders welcome more positive corporate earnings news.
Media conglomerate Viacom rose 5 per cent Thursday, the most in the Standard & Poor's 500 index, after its results topped forecasts.
Wal-Mart Stores rose 4 per cent after reporting income and revenue that came in ahead of what analysts were expecting.
The S&P 500 was flat at 2,038 as of 11:55 a.m. Eastern time.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 36 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 17,648. The Nasdaq composite rose three points, or 0.1 per cent, to 4,678.
Crude oil dropped $1.85 to $75.37 a barrel. The price is at a four-year low as supplies rise. Energy stocks fell as result, losing 2 per cent, the most among the 10 industry sectors in the S&P 500 index.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.