US STOCKS-Wall St to higher opens higher on solid profits

                                
 * Apple climbs after earnings
                                
 * GE posts 80 percent rise in profits, raises dividend
                                
 * Latest jobless claims signal slow, slight improvement
                                
 * Indexes up: Dow 0.2 pct, S&P 0.4 pct, Nasdaq 0.5 pct
                                
 * For up-to-the-minute market news see [STXNEWS/US]
 (Updates to open)
                                
 By Chuck Mikolajczak
                                
 NEW YORK, April 21 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks opened higher on
Thursday in a shortened week as strong earnings and outlooks
bolstered optimism about the pace of the economic recovery. 
                                
 Apple Inc <AAPL.O> climbed 2.9 percent to $352.32 after its
results beat Wall Street's expectations as iPhone and Mac
computer sales scaled new heights while iPad supplies could not
keep up with global demand. For details, see [ID:nL3E7FK17N]
                                
 General Electric Co <GE.N> edged up 0.1 percent to $20.42
after the largest U.S. conglomerate reported an 80 percent
surge in first-quarter profit and raised its quarterly
dividend. [ID:nN21234334]
                                
 Morgan Stanley, the second-largest U.S. investment bank,
rose 3.1 percent to $26.85 after reporting its first-quarter
results. [ID:nN21240660]
                                
 But gains were curbed after government data showed new U.S.
claims for unemployment benefits, despite falling last week,
held above the key 400,000 level. [ID:nOAT004789]
                                
 "Does it really change the trend of the employment market?
No, the trend still seems to be slightly improving but at a
very slow rate," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at
Avalon Partners in New York.
                                
 "The news today on the earnings front is quite good."
                                
 Other economic data due on Thursday includes leading
indicators for March, February home prices and the Philadelphia
Fed's index of business conditions for the mid-Atlantic region
for April are expected at 10 a.m. [1400 GMT].
                                
 The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 24.14
points, or 0.19 percent, to 12,477.68. The Standard & Poor's
500 Index <.SPX> added 5.85 points, or 0.44 percent, to
1,336.21. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> rose 14.34 points,
or 0.51 percent, to 2,816.85.
                                
 Travelers Cos Inc <TRV.N> provided the top boost to the Dow
after reporting a 30 percent rise in quarterly profit as the
largest publicly traded U.S. property insurer recorded higher
investment income. Shares rose 1.6 percent to $60.05.
[ID:nL3E7FK3EY]
                                
 In contrast, McDonald's Corp <MCD.N> was the biggest
laggard on the blue-chip average, off 1.5 percent to $77.19,
after the hamburger chain reported a higher quarterly profit
and posted March same-store sales but warned of accelerating
food inflation. [ID:nN21134828]
                                
 Volume is expected to remain light on Thursday before a
three-day weekend. U.S. markets are closed on Friday in
observance of Good Friday.
 (Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Kenneth Barry)