US stocks are mostly higher in early trading

Associated Press
FILE - In this April 30, 2014 photo, trader Edward Curran rushes across the New York Stock Exchange floor. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are mostly higher in early trading as more U.S. companies report positive earnings surprises.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose four points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,872 in the first few minutes of trading Wednesday.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 48 points, or 0.3 percent, to 16,445. The Nasdaq composite slipped five points, or 0.1 percent, to 4,075.

Mondelez International, which makes Triscuits and Oreos, soared 9 percent after saying it would combine its coffee business with D.E. Master Blenders.

Activision Blizzard and Molson Coors rose after their earnings beat analysts' estimates.

Whole Foods plunged 20 percent after cutting its profit outlook.

Bond prices were little changed. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note edged up to 2.60 percent.