US STOCKS-S&P 500, Dow tick higher ahead of Fed minutes

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* Shares of energy firms, cruise operators rise
* Prison operator GEO tumbles on dividend suspension
* Fed minutes to be release at 2 p.m. ET
* Indexes: Dow up 0.2%, S&P rises 0.1%, Nasdaq down 0.1%

(Updates to market open)
By Shivani Kumaresan and Medha Singh
April 7 (Reuters) - The S&P 500 and the Dow ticked higher on
Wednesday, with financial stocks leading gains ahead of minutes
from the Federal Reserve's last meeting that could offer clues
on the central bank's views on inflation and an economic
recovery.
Amazon.com Inc AMZN.O , Microsoft Corp MSFT.O and
Facebook Inc FB.O were among the top boosts to the benchmark
S&P 500.
Massive fiscal stimulus and swift vaccinations prompted
several Fed officials at the meeting last month to project
interest rate increases as early as next year, opening up a gap
with those who do not see rates rising until 2024 at the
earliest. "The only thing that could move markets would be a surprise
in the minutes regarding the discussion of raising rates," said
Paul Nolte, portfolio manager at Kingsview Asset Management in
Chicago.
"At this point nobody is anticipating that."
A strong monthly payrolls report, which helped the S&P 500
hit its fourth consecutive record high on Tuesday, is only a
small step towards the central bank's threshold for considering
tapering its massive support for the economy.
Value stocks, which include economically sensitive sectors,
maintain a strong lead this year over their growth counterparts,
dominantly tech-related firms.
However, a resurgence in demand for tech stocks in recent
sessions has raised questions over the longevity of value trade.
The value .RLV and growth indexes .RLG were at
loggerheads by 09:48 a.m. ET.
The upcoming first-quarter earnings season and progress in a
multi-trillion infrastructure proposal could decide the path
forward for markets.
"The earnings season should be pretty good as we are seeing
the economy reopen, jobs coming back ... the expectation is
increased guidance," Nolte added.
At 09:49 a.m. ET the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI
rose 53.73 points, or 0.16% , to 33,483.97, the S&P 500 .SPX
gained 4.79 points, or 0.12 %, to 4,078.73 and the Nasdaq
Composite .IXIC lost 7.81 points, or 0.06 %, to 13,690.57.
Shares of energy firms .SPNY gained 0.6% and cruise
operators Norwegian Cruise Line NCLH.N , Carnival Corp CCL.N
and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd RCL.N gained between 1.8% and
2.5% on optimism about an economic reopening.
Prison operator GEO Group GEO.N fell about 19% after
suspending quarterly dividend payments. Shares of Ebon International EBON.O rose 1.4% after the
Chinese bitcoin mining machine maker responded to short-seller
Hindenburg Research's critical report. Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 1.1-to-1 ratio
on the NYSE and by a 1.5-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.
The S&P 500 posted 21 new 52-week highs and no new lows,
while the Nasdaq recorded 58 new highs and six new lows.