US stocks hold steady ahead of earnings and Fed statement

The U.S. stocks settled significantly in early trading on Friday as investors awaited corporate earnings reports and Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's speech. The S&P 500 index rose modestly by 0.1%, while the Nasdaq Composite declined by 0.1%. The Dow Jones increased by approximately 92 points, or 0.2%. The market is closely watching Warsh's speech at the Jackson Hole symposium, which is seen as an indicator of the future direction of interest rates, with a 64% probability of remaining unchanged according to assessment tools. Despite mixed company results, it is expected that the U.S. indices will end the week with gains of nearly 1%.