The benchmark S&P 500 and the Nasdaq struggled for direction on Friday, as investors avoided big bets and assessed fresh data to gauge the health of the economy, while Boeing dipped after issuing a quarterly profit warning.

U.S. stocks rose after more companies said they made bigger profits at the end of last year than analysts expected and as Treasury yields eased.

U.S. stock indexes are drifting higher following a mostly encouraging batch of profit reports from big companies.