Midday Report: Intel Falls on Fourth-Quarter Weakness; Halliburton Swings to Profit

U.S. stocks edged higher after a stream of positive earnings trickled in. Morgan Stanley (MS) - Get Report posted a big jump in third-quarter trading revenue, while Halliburton (HAL) - Get Report swung to an unexpected quarterly profit. Crude oil prices jumped on signs of falling domestic production. A weekly reading on domestic inventories from the EIA showed a decline for the sixth time in the past seven weeks.  Intel (INTC) - Get Report exceeded third-quarter earnings estimates after posting a 21% increase in net profit and 9% jump in revenue. However, shares tumbled after guiding for a below-consensus fourth quarter. Rite Aid (RAD) - Get Report fell on reports Kroger (KR) - Get Report will not buy some of the stores it needs to sell in order to comply with antitrust conditions tied to its Walgreens (WBA) - Get Report deal. The FTC reportedly told Kroger it would not be able to close the stores and move operations within its own locations. TheStreet's Keris Lahiff reports from Wall Street.