Stocks open modestly higher; Google’s parent company jumps

Major stock indexes are opening modestly higher on Wall Street as investors turn their focus to some strong earnings reports from Big Tech companies and hopes for getting more economic stimulus passed in Washington. The S&P 500 was up 0.3% in the early going on Wednesday. The benchmark index is coming off two days of solid gains. Google’s parent company, Alphabet, jumped more than 6% after reporting a blowout quarter as its digital advertising machine regained momentum. Amazon also rep