General Electric, Morgan Stanley and Google all rose after reporting higher profits than financial analysts were expecting. Google topped $1,000 a share for the first time.
Investors were also encouraged by a rebound in Chinese economic growth in the latest quarter.
Two days after Congress voted to increase the U.S. debt ceiling and reopen the government, the S&P 500 rose six points, or a third of a percent, to 1,740, as of noon Eastern Daylight Time. It closed at a record Thursday.
The Dow Jones industrial average slipped seven points to 15,364. The Nasdaq composite was up 33 points, or 0.9 percent, at 3,896.
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