NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are drifting higher in midday trading as markets start to wind down ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S.

Several stocks were moving on news.

Deere rose 3 percent after the maker of farm equipment reported earnings that beat analysts' forecasts.

HP sank 13 percent after reporting weak sales of PCs, printers and commercial software. Hewlett Packard Enterprise rose 3 percent after sales of hardware for data centers improved.

The Dow Jones industrial average edged up eight points, less than 0.1 percent, to 17,820 as of 11:45 a.m. Eastern time.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose a fraction to 2,089. The Nasdaq composite gained 13 points, or 0.3 percent, to 5,116.

U.S. markets will be closed Thursday for Thanksgiving. They will reopen on an abbreviated schedule Friday.