US stocks mixed

NEW YORK, July 20 (AFP): Wall Street stocks were mixed early Friday as strong earnings from Microsoft and other companies competed for attention with fresh provocations from President Donald Trump on trade and the central bank.

About 20 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was at 25,033.58, down 0.1 per cent. The broad-based S&P 500 slipped less than 0.1 per cent to 2,803.29, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 0.2 per cent to 7,844.06.

Microsoft jumped 3.2 per cent after reporting a 10 per cent rise in quarterly profit to $8.8 billion behind strong revenue gains in internet search ads, gaming, Windows and other key businesses.