Major Averages Move To The Upside In Early Trading

(RTTNews) - After ending the previous session notably higher, stocks are seeing some further upside in early trading on Friday. The major averages have all climbed into positive territory, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq showing a significant upward move.

The early strength on Wall Street partly reflects a positive reaction to the latest earnings reports, which have drawn increased attention since the end of the government shutdown.

Microsoft (MSFT) and Amazon (AMZN) are posting standout gains after reporting their quarterly results, contributing to the strong upward move by the Nasdaq.

On the economic front, the Commerce Department released a report showing that durable goods orders rose by much more than expected, although the growth was largely due to a jump in orders for transportation equipment.

Software stocks are seeing notable strength following the upbeat earnings news from Microsoft, although most of the other major sectors are showing more modest moves.

Currently, the major averages all remain in positive territory, although the Nasdaq is outperforming its counterparts. While the Nasdaq is up 28.45 points or 0.7 percent at 3,957.41, the Dow is up 30.18 points or 0.2 percent at 15,539.39 and the S&P 500 is up 3.93 points or 0.2 percent at 1,756.00.