MARKET SNAPSHOT: U.S. Stocks Rise As Results From Halliburton Beat

By Anora Mahmudova, MarketWatch

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks moved higher in early trading Monday after a wave of companies reported earnings that topped Wall Street forecasts.

Reporting ahead of the bell Monday, Halliburton Co. (HAL) , Hasbro, Inc. (HAS) and Kimberly-Clark Corp. (KMB) beat Wall Street's expectations. Netflix, Inc. (NFLX) is scheduled to release earnings results after the market close.

The S&P 500 (SPX) was up 3 points, or 0.1%, at 1,868.61. The benchmark index finished the holiday-shortened week with the best gain in 9 months on Thursday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) added 32 points, or 0.2%, to 16,441.40.

The Nasdaq Composite (RIXF) was up 10 points, or 0.3%, to 4,105.75.

The economic calendar is light on Monday with only two reports on the docket. The Chicago Fed National Activity Index decreased to 0.20 in March from 0.53 in February. Data on leading indicators is due at 10 a.m. Eastern.

Halliburton, AMD rally

One of the busiest weeks for earnings releases began with the results of Halliburton and Kimberly-Clark.

Ahead of the bell on Monday, Halliburton (HAL) reported that it swung to a first-quarter profit of 73 cents a share. Shares rallied 3.4% in early trade.

Kimberly-Clark (KMB)posted adjusted first-quarter earnings of $1.48 per share, which was slightly above the $1.47 a share that was expected. Shares slid 2%.

Hasbro Inc. (HAS) shares gave up most initial gains and were marginally higher after the toymaker said it swung to a first-quarter profit of 24 cents a share, from a year-ago loss, thanks to sales of its girls toys category.

Shares of Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) rose 8.9% to $4.02 after the company reported better-than-expected results late Thursday.

After the close, Netflix Inc. (NFLX) will take the spotlight. The video-streaming company was trading 1.3% lower and lost nearly a quarter of its market value from its peak reached in March. What to look for in Netflix's earnings Monday.

Shares of Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. (SRPT) soared 58% after the company announced plans to submit a new drug application to the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy by the end of the year.

This week, the deluge of corporate earnings include Apple Inc. (AAPL) , Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), Boeing Co. (BA) and Caterpillar Inc. (CAT)

European markets closed for Easter Monday

Several global markets remained closed on Monday, including those in Europe, plus Australia, Hong Kong and New Zealand. The Nikkei 225 index closed up 0.6%, while other markets closed flat to slightly lower.

Gold(GCM4) and oil prices (CLK4) eased back on Monday, while the dollar firmed against the yen (USDJPY).

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