US STOCKS-Wall St edges up on earnings, data

                                
 * Housing starts at 6-month high, industrial output rises
                                
 * Deere, Whole Foods shares jump after results
                                
 * Indexes up: S&P 0.2 pct, Dow 0.2 pct, Nasdaq 0.3 pct
                                
 * For up-to-the-minute market news, click [STXNEWS/US]
(Recasts, changes byline)
                                
 By Rodrigo Campos
                                
 NEW YORK, Feb 17 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks edged higher on
Wednesday as stronger-than-expected earnings from companies
including Deere & Co <DE.N> and upbeat economic data more than
offset a decline in commodity-related shares.
                                
 A bounce back in recently battered health insurer stocks
gave additional support to equities.
                                
 Deere stock rose 4.4 percent to $56.13 after the farm
equipment maker reported quarterly earnings that topped
expectations and raised its fiscal 2010 outlook for machinery
sales growth. For details, see [ID:nN16124382].
                                
 Shares of Whole Foods Market Inc <WFMI.O> shot up 12.1
percent to $34.21 and boosted the S&P consumer staples sector
<.GSPS> a day after the supermarket chain posted a
better-than-expected quarterly profit and raised its full year
outlook.
                                
 "We've seen some good earnings and that's been the
catalyst," said Andy Fitzpatrick, director of investments at
Hinsdale Associates, in Hinsdale Illinois. "Valuation and
fundamentals are starting to become more recognized by this
market."
                                
 The results follow the upbeat trend in fourth-quarter U.S.
corporate earnings, with more than 70 percent of the Standard &
Poor's 500 companies beating analyst estimates so far,
according to Thomson Reuters data.
                                
 The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 19.80
points, or 0.19 percent, to 10,288.61. The Standard & Poor's
500 Index <.SPX> gained 2.35 points, or 0.21 percent, to
1,097.22. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gained 6.50
points, or 0.29 percent, to 2,220.69.
                                
 Also helping sentiment, U.S. housing starts rose to a
six-month high in January and industrial output also increased
solidly, pointing to an economic recovery that was taking a
firm hold. [ID:nN17114831]
                                
 United Technologies Corp <UTX.N> shares gained 2.3 percent
to $67.43 boosted by the output data and after the company's
chief executive said orders from China were not slowing despite
that country's efforts to curb lending. The CEO also hinted of
a possible United Tech stock buyback. For details see
[ID:nN17124844].
                                
 Health care stocks were among the biggest gainers as health
insurance providers rebounded from recent declines. The Morgan
Stanley healthcare payor index <.HMO> , down in six of the last
seven weeks, jumped 2.5 percent, its largest daily gain since
early January. WellPoint Inc <WLP.N> and Aetna Inc <AET.N> both
rose more than 3 percent.
                                
 "There's valuation benefits in the healthcare sector in
general," Fitzpatrick said.
                                
 On the down side were energy and materials shares, which
gave up some of the gains that led the market to its best day
in three months on Tuesday.
                                
 U.S. Steel Corp <X.N> shares fell 1.8 percent to $50.20 and
Chevron <CVX.N> was off 0.5 percent at $72.64. An index of
energy shares <.GSPE> declined 0.7 percent.
 (Editing by Kenneth Barry)