SINGAPORE, April 26 (Reuters) - The S&P 500 inched higher on Wednesday and the dollar weakened as investors weighed solid company earnings against weaker-than-expected economic data and ongoing wrangling in Washington on raising the debt ceiling.
"Megacaps are doing well based on strong earnings," said Bill Northey, senior investment director at U.S. Bancorp in Helena, Montana.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) fell 42.01 points, or 0.13%, to 33,488.82, and the S&P 500 (.SPX) gained 8.73 points, or 0.21%, to 4,080.36.
The U.S. dollar softened against a basket of major world currencies as the previous session's flight to safety faded and the euro gained strengthThe dollar index fell 0.46%, with the euro up 0.68% to $1.1047.
Crude prices extended their losses as weak economic data further fueled fears of an economic downturn.