Stocks Mixed on Earnings Caution; Apple Rebounds

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Major U.S. stock averages were muddled Wednesday afternoon as investors remained cautious about the fourth-quarter earnings season following reports from JPMorgan Chase(JPM) and Goldman Sachs(GS) . Apple(AAPL) shares rebounded.

A decline in shares of aerospace giant Boeing(BA) and a cut in the World Bank's global outlook also weighed on the markets.

The World Bank predicted that worldwide gross domestic product will rise 2.4% from 2.3% last year, down from its prior prediction of 3% growth for 2013, citing risks including the stalling of progress made on resolving the eurozone crisis, the battles over the U.S. budget, the possibility of a sharp slowing of investment in China, and a disruption in global oil supplies.

U.S. economic data points maintained a relatively positive tone Wednesday ahead of the Federal Reserve's beige book report.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 24 points, or 0.2%, to 13,511.

Breadth was negative, with losers edging winners 17 to 13. The heaviest decliners were Boeing, Merck(MRK) , AT&T(T) and Verizon(VZ) .

Boeing shares sank 3.4%. Japan's two biggest airlines grounded all their Boeing 787 aircraft for safety checks Wednesday after one was forced to make an emergency landing in the latest blow for the new jet.

JPMorgan shares were down following its fourth-quarter results.

Intel(INTC) , Hewlett-Packard(HPQ) and Bank of America(BAC) were among the blue-chip components that moved higher.

The S&P 500 rose incrementally by 0.02% to 1,473. The Nasdaq gained 7 points, or 0.2%, to 3,118 as Apple shares rebounded 4.2% to trade above $500 again.

In the broader market, the biggest sector decliners were consumer cyclicals, basic materials, capital goods, conglomerates and utilities. The technology, transportation and consumer non-cyclical sectors were in the green.

Volumes totaled 3.15 billion on the Big Board and 1.68 billion on the Nasdaq. Decliners were outpacing advancers by a ratio of 1.2-to-1 on the New York Stock Exchange and 1.5-to-1 on the Nasdaq.