US STOCKS-S&P 500 rises as fiscal stimulus hopes offset Sino-U.S. worries

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* Tesla, Microsoft rise ahead of results
* Snap Inc falls after disappointing user growth forecast
* HCA Healthcare climbs after better than expected revenue
* Indexes: Dow up 0.32%, S&P up 0.18%, Nasdaq flat

(Adds quote, details; updates prices)
By Medha Singh and Devik Jain
July 22 (Reuters) - The S&P 500 ticked higher in a choppy
session on Wednesday as a boost from Microsoft and optimism
about another round of stimulus for the virus-stricken economy
countered worries over worsening ties between the United States
and China.
Tesla Inc TSLA.O and Microsoft Corp MSFT.O rose 1.2% and
0.8% in the run up to their quarterly reports due after markets
close.
A largely upbeat start to the second-quarter earnings
season, hopes for an eventual COVID-19 vaccine and an expected
official support for the economy has brought the S&P 500 within
4% below its record February closing high.
Republicans and Democrats in Congress aim to pass a fourth
coronavirus aid package before the end of the month, but they
will have to overcome significant
differences. "While prospects of a new spending bill may counter some
negative sentiment, the market doesn't always move in one
direction," said Mike Loewengart, managing director of
investment strategy at E*TRADE Financial Corp.
"The decidedly more cautious tone from the Trump
administration on the coronavirus front ... coupled with rising
tensions with China, there is enough out there for some
investors to want to sit out for a round or two."
Earlier on Wednesday, futures had taken a hit after
Washington told China to close its consulate in Houston, citing
a need to protect American intellectual property and
information, deepening a deterioration in bilateral relations. A
source said Beijing was considering shutting down the U.S.
consulate in Wuhan. At 11:39 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI
was up 85.53 points, or 0.32%, at 26,925.93, the S&P 500 .SPX
was up 6.02 points, or 0.18%, at 3,263.32. The Nasdaq Composite
.IXIC was down 0.61 points, or 0.01%, at 10,679.76.
The real estate .SPLRCR sectors rose about 1%, the most
among major S&P sectors, while financials .SPSY and energy
.SPNY underperformed.
Pfizer Inc PFE.N advanced 3.3% as the drugmaker and German
biotech firm BioNTech SE 22UAy.F said they would get $1.95
billion from the U.S. government to produce and deliver 100
million doses of their COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Hospital operator HCA Healthcare Inc HCA.N surged 9.4%
after reporting better-than-expected quarterly revenue. Thermo
Fisher Scientific Inc TMO.N jumped 1.7% after the scientific
instruments maker beat second-quarter results.
Snap Inc SNAP.N declined 7.9% as it forecast fewer
current-quarter users than estimates and said the initial lift
in user growth at the start of coronavirus-led lockdowns
dissipated faster than it expected. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 1.30-to-1 ratio
on the NYSE. Declining issues outnumbered advancers for a
1.29-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.
The S&P index recorded 36 new 52-week highs and one new low,
while the Nasdaq recorded 66 new highs and seven new lows.