US stocks : Dow up 0.1 pct
U.S. debt limit would be put off for a while. House Republican leaders said they would seek to pass a three-month extension of federal borrowing authority next week to buy time for the Democratic-controlled Senate to pass a budget that shrinks deficits.
Overall, S&P 500 fourth-quarter earnings rose an estimated 2.5 percent, according to Thomson Reuters data.
The Dow Jones industrial average was up 8.69 points, or 0.06 percent, at 13,604.71. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 0.17 points, or 0.01 percent, at 1,481.11. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 8.61 points, or 0.27 percent, at 3,127.39.
On Thursday, the S&P 500 rose to its highest since late 2007, and that could prompt investors to lock in recent gains, analysts said.
Reflecting the complacency, the CBOE Volatility index , Wall Street's so-called fear gauge, fell 7.4 percent. The VIX usually moves inversely to the S&P 500 as it is used as a hedge tool against further market decline.
Economic data from China provided some support to the market, though the focus remained on U.S. corporate earnings. The country's economy grew at a modestly faster-than-expected 7.9 percent in the fourth quarter, the latest sign the world's second-biggest economy was pulling out of a post-global financial crisis slowdown which saw it grow in 2012 at its weakest pace since 1999.
General Electric reported a better-than-expected rise in earnings, spurred by robust demand in China and oil-producing countries. Shares were up 3.2 percent at $21.99.
Despite the gains by Morgan Stanley, financial stocks sagged as Capital
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