North American markets are likely to rise at the open Wednesday after solid earnings results from Amazon.com and Boeing.

Amazon reported its second-quarter profit fell 32% because of an income-tax expense, but results generally topped expectations. The Internet retailer raised its full-year forecast, and its shares jumped 11% in after-hours trading Tuesday following the earnings announcement.

Aerospace giant Boeing’s profit fell 6.8% from a year-earlier quarter that included a big gain from a tax refund. Revenue increased 15% and the aerospace giant raised its outlook.

In Canadian earnings news, Suncor Energy Inc. said its second-quarter profit declined to $112 million, from a year-earlier $202 million, as a fire at Alberta oilsands operations slashed production.

Oil and gas giant Petro-Canada saw its second-quarter earnings report released prematurely on Tuesday. Petro-Can said it is boosting its quarterly dividend 33% and splitting its stock on a two-for-one basis.

The company’s profit for the second quarter ended June 30 fell to $345 million or $1.33 per share, from $393 million, or $1.82 per share, for the same period last year.

In today’s economic news, the U.S. Commerce Department said U.S. durable-goods orders rose a surprisingly strong 1.4% in June.

Economists’ had called for a 0.5% decrease for durable-goods orders.

Separately, the Commerce Department is also slated to release the new-home sales report for June at 10:00 ET. Economists forecast a 0.2% increase to an annual rate of 1.3 million single-family homes compared with a level of 1.29 million in May.

This afternoon, the U.S. Federal Reserve will release its latest Beige Book report summarizing economic activity throughout the U.S.

There are no major economic releases from Statistics Canada today.

The Canadian dollar opened at US80.74¢, down 0.59 of a cent.

On Tuesday, the loonie plunged to its lowest level in three weeks against an invigorated U.S. greenback, down 0.72 of a cent, after the People’s Bank of China released a statement saying that foreign media had overstated China’s intention to allow the yuan to appreciate against the U.S. dollar.

Overnight, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index advanced 97.12 points, or 0.8%, to 11,835.08 on the Tokyo Stock Exchange – its highest level since April 8.

Toronto stocks closed marginally higher Tuesday, as technology shares pulled the market forward in an otherwise lacklustre session.

The S&P/TSX composite index gained 5.34 points, or 0.05%, to close 10,367.89.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index finished down 7.91, or 0.45%, to close 1,764.98.

In New York, markets were decidedly mixed as investors factored in the impact of slightly higher oil prices against strong corporate earnings.

The blue chip Dow Jones industrial average lost 16.71 points, or 0.16%, to close 10,579.77; the tech heavy Nasdaq composite index lifted 9.25, or 0.43%, to close 2,175.99; and the broad based S&P 500 gained 2.13, or 0.17%, to close 1,231.16.