DJIA up 34.68 points (Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - New York, 23 Jul - US shares were trading slightly higher at midday as investors digested a flurry of important earnings with some big names still to come.

Companies making up nearly 30% of the S&P 500 index are due to report latest quarterly earnings this week and investors are keen to see if the tech rally that has helped boost markets this year has legs to go further.

Conglomerates on deck today include Tesla and Google-parent Alphabet which both report after market close. Drinks giant Coca Cola posted earnings earlier today that beat Wall Street estimates as demand for its products rose despite higher prices. Its shares were up 0.8%.

On the data front, traders will be watching existing home sales later which are expected to drop in June as house prices rise and mortgage rates remain restrictive.

Politics meanwhile continues to attract attention after Biden's decision this weekend not to seek re-election in November, with the Democrat nomination now virtually guaranteed for vice-president Kamala Harris.

On the stocks front, Spotify shares were up 12.6% after it beat earnings expectations amid ongoing restructuring.

At 1612 GMT, the Dow Jones was gaining 34.68 points, or 0.09%, at 40,450.12 points.

The S&P 500 was 14.55 points, or 0.26%, higher at 5,578.96 points.

The Nasdaq was up 82.14 points, or 0.46%, at 18,091.51 points.

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(RADIOCOR) 23-07-24 17:22:34 (0537) 5 NNNN