This Oct. 4, 2014, file photo, shows the facade of the New York Stock Exchange.Richard Drew/The Associated Press
North American stock markets are experiencing modest gains in late morning trading while the Canadian dollar is down slightly.
The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index rose 18.88 points to 14,543.49.
The Dow Jones industrial average was up 42.29 points at 18,601.30, the broader S&P 500 composite index declined 9.51 points to 2,173.29 and the Nasdaq composite gained 48.28 points to 5,084.65.
The Canadian dollar was at 76.68 cents (U.S.), down 0.08 of a cent from Tuesday's close.
The September crude contract was up 30 cents at $45.75 (U.S.) per barrel and August natural gas was down five cents at $2.68 per mmBTU.
The August gold contract fell $13.50 to $1,318.80 an ounce and September copper contracts fell one cent to $2.25 a pound.
The Dow and the S&P 500 were little changed on Wednesday, easing after hitting fresh intraday records, as the boost to tech stocks from Microsoft's results was curbed by a drop in energy stock as oil prices fell.
Microsoft was up 4.9 per cent at $55.72, making it the biggest boost to the three major indexes, after its results handily beat expectations.
The technology index rose 1.05 per cent, leading the three gainers among the 10 major S&P sectors. But, the energy index was down 1.07 per cent as oil prices fell 1.5 per cent.
Crude oil futures hit two-month lows on technical selling pressure and liquidation by investors fearing a supply glut despite impending government data likely to show a drawdown.
With the stock market on a record-setting rally, investors have been keeping a sharp eye on corporate earnings to see if they can help sustain the momentum.
"For the rally to sustain we are going to need to see continued improvement in the earnings and economic activity," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at First Standard Financial in New York.
Cardillo said investors should be prudent at current stock levels, given the uncertainty following Britain's vote to leave the European Union and other ongoing geopolitical concerns.
Morgan Stanley was up 1.8 per cent at $28.70 after its profit topped analysts' estimates, rounding off upbeat results from the six biggest Wall Street banks.
Disney fell 2 per cent to $97.47 after a Stifel rating downgrade. The stock was the biggest drag on the S&P and the Dow.
Intuitive Surgical was up 6 per cent at $713.41 after the medical device maker's profit beat estimates.
Intel, eBay and American Express are scheduled to report results after the bell.
Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by 1,489 to 1,122. On the Nasdaq, 1,195 issues rose and 1,073 fell.
The S&P 500 index showed 24 new 52-week highs and no new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 35 new highs and seven new lows.
With files from Reuters