Stocks edge higher, still headed for a weekly loss
Stocks creep higher; S&P 500 headed for another weekly loss as government shutdown continues
FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013 file photo, trader Kevin Walsh works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Stock futures were rebounding before the opening bell Friday, Oct. 4, from a significant sell-off over the past two days, but major averages that have been rattled by the partial government shutdown appear to be headed for a weekly loss. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
·Associated PressNEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks are edging higher on Wall Street but investors remain focused on Washington, where a partial shutdown of the U.S. government has weighed on the market all week.
The Dow Jones industrial average was up 32 points, or 0.2 percent, at 15,028 as of noon Eastern.
The Standard & Poor's 500 was up five points, or 0.3 percent, at 1,684 and the Nasdaq composite was up 22 points, or 0.6 percent, at 3,797.
Investors have been discouraged as political wrangling over the new health care law led to a partial shutdown of the government that is now in its fourth day.
The S&P has finished higher only twice in the past 11 days as disgust over the budget impasse grows. The index is down 0.4 percent for the week.
