Major U.S. indexes were little changed at midday Thursday after Wednesday's big gains powered by strong bank earnings and a softer-than-expected inflation report.

When the healthcare giant reports earnings Thursday morning, investors will be looking to see if Brian Thompson’s death and the public outcry over denials are prompting any changes at the company.

But high medical costs contributed to results that disappointed Wall Street, and the company’s stock fell on the news that it had made less than analysts expected.

U.S. stock indexes drifted lower following a mixed set of earnings reports from Morgan Stanley, UnitedHealth Group and other big companies

Erin Wright, an analyst from Morgan Stanley, maintained the Buy rating on UnitedHealth (UNH – Research Report). The associated price target

Mining giants Rio Tinto Ltd (LSE:RIO, ASX:RIO, OTC:RTNTF) and Glencore PLC (LSE:GLEN) have reportedly engaged in preliminary discussions about a potential merger, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The selloff in UnitedHealth's stock can be blamed for Dow futures falling, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures are rising. The health giant's stock was sinking 3.2% in recent premarket trading, after

The relatively modest moves for stocks came a day after they shot higher on hopes that an encouraging report on inflation may convince the Federal Reserve to deliver more cuts to interest rates this year. Treasury yields were also more placid in the bond market following mixed economic reports on Thursday..

First-quarter earnings season kicks off with results from Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, and UnitedHealth Group.

NEW YORK — U.S. stock indexes drifted lower Thursday following a mixed set of earnings reports from Morgan Stanley, UnitedHealth Group and other big companies.

Analyst Erin Wright from Morgan Stanley maintained a Buy rating on UnitedHealth (UNH – Research Report) and keeping the price target at

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