North American stocks are expected to climb early Wednesday after J.P. Morgan Chase posted strong earnings. However, the technology sector may feel pressure after Intel’s weak results.

Before the opening bell, J.P. Morgan Chase reported a 68% surge in fourth-quarter net income, as strength in investment banking and one-time gains offset a decline in retail banking. Net revenue rose 19.1% to $16.05 billion.

Intel said late Tuesday that its fourth-quarter profit was off 39% from the year-earlier period on a 5% drop in revenue amid stiff competition from rival Advanced Micro Devices. Intel’s revenue was higher than analysts expected, however.

In economic news, the producer price index for finished goods rose 0.9% in December, the U.S. Labor Department said today, after rising at a three-decade high of 2% in November. Producer prices fell 1.6% in October.

Reports on November capital flows, December industrial production and December capacity utilization are scheduled for release.

The Federal Reserves’s beige book also is due for release at 14:00 ET.

There are no major economic data releases from Statistics Canada today.

The Canadian dollar opened at US85.14¢, up 0.16 of a cent.

Crude-oil prices continued to be under pressure on Wednesday, trading 21¢ lower at US$51 a barrel.

In other earning news, Southwest Airlines posted a 19% decrease in fourth-quarter net income on losses from its fuel hedges. Revenue increased 15%.

Apple reports its quarterly results after the market close.

In banking news, Royal Bank is applying tight restrictions on who can open U.S. dollar accounts and defended the policy Tuesday as part of the effort to stop terrorism and money-laundering. The bank was reacting to a report about the U.S. restrictions.

European stock markets were largely flat.

Asian markets moved higher, overnight.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index was up 58.89 points, or 0.34%, to close at 17,261.35.

In Hong Kong, the blue-chip Hang Seng Index rose 36.62 points, or 0.2%, to 20,064.57.

Toronto stocks finished down Tuesday, and the Canadian dollar lost ground, as falling resource prices weighed down the energy and materials sectors, and the Bank of Canada held its key overnight rate unchanged.

The S&P/TSX composite index fell 35.04 points, or 0.27%, to 12,720.32. Six of the 10 TSX main sub-groups were down.

The financials sector moved ahead 0.34%. Toronto-Dominion Bank rose by 47¢, or 0.68%, to $69.27 as TD Ameritrade, in which TD Bank has a 40% position, announced a 69% increase in profits for the first quarter compared to the same period last year.

The S&P TSX Venture composite index lost 26.91 points, or 0.93%, to 2,865.32.

In New York, markets were mixed as investors responded to the dropping price of oil and selected negative corporate earnings reports.

The Dow Jones industrial average finished up 26.51 points at 12,582.59, the S&P 500 inched ahead 1.17 points to 1,431.90, while the Nasdaq composite index lost 5.04 points to 2,497.78.