New York, April 30 (IANS) US stocks edged higher Friday as earnings reports came in mixed and consumer spending rose in March due to high food and gas prices, Xinhua reported.

The US Commerce Department said Friday that both consumer income and spending rose in March.

The consumer income rose 0.5 percent while consumer spending increased 0.6 percent, rising for a ninth straight month, mainly driven by surging prices of food and gasoline, after an upwardly revised 0.9 percent advance in February.

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke Friday called for more lending to people and small businesses in lower-income neighbourhoods, saying that US economy is far from where the Americans would like it to be, and many people and neighbourhoods are in danger of being left behind.

As of earnings reports, Chevron Corp, the second largest US oil company, reported a jump in quarterly earnings, lifted by high oil prices and refining profit. The shares reversed its earlier losses and edged higher in closing session.

The Blackberry marker Research in Motion, dipped more than 14 percent Friday, after it cut its first-quarter outlook.

Microsoft also fell more than three percent after it reported a decrease in quarterly sales of its core Windows operating, despite strong sales of its gaming devices and corporate IT business.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 46.93 points, or 0.37 percent, to 12,810.24. The Standard & Poor's 500 was up 3.02 points, or 0.22 percent, to 1,363.50. The Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 1.01 points, or 0.04 percent, to 2,873.54.