US stocks end higher, Twitter, Apple drag down Nasdaq

US stocks finished higher Thursday but an Apple selloff and the early release of what proved to be disappointing Twitter earnings drove the Nasdaq into the red.

At the closing bell the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 72.17 points (0.40 percent) at 18,110.14.

The broader S&P 500 rose 5.85 (0.28 percent) to 2,114.77, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite gave up 4.82 (0.10 percent) at 5,055.42.

Apple sank 1.6 percent despite its strong earnings and increase to shareholder payouts, while Twitter plunged 18.2 percent after its poor earnings were inadvertently released before the market closed.