FILE - This Oct. 2, 2014 file photo shows a Wall Street sign adjacent to the New York Stock Exchange, in New York. U.S. stock prices are edging higher in early trading Tuesday, April 7, 2015, putting the market on track for its third gain in a row. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File) (The Associated Press)
NEW YORK – U.S. stock prices are edging higher in midday trading, putting the market on track for its third gain in a row.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 85 points, or 0.5 percent, to 17,965 as of 11:45 a.m. Eastern time Tuesday.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained six points, or 0.3 percent, to 2,087. The Nasdaq composite increased 24 points, or 0.5 percent, to 4,942.
FedEx rose 3 percent after saying it had agreed to take over Dutch rival TNT Express, one of Europe's largest delivery companies.
The price of oil rose 2 percent to $53.30 a barrel in New York.
Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 1.92 percent.
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