U.S. stock indexes are drifting Thursday following a mixed set of earnings reports from Morgan Stanley, UnitedHealth Group and other big companies. The S&P 500 rose 0.1% afternoon trading after flipping earlier between small gains and losses.

U.S. stocks are rallying Wednesday after Wall Street and financial markets worldwide got a shot of adrenaline from an encouraging update on U.S. inflation. Strong profit reports from the biggest U.S.

U.S. equity futures nudged higher in early Wednesday trading, while the dollar eased and Treasury yields steadied, as investors braced for a crucial December inflation report that could define the market's direction over the coming weeks.