Stocks were modestly higher in early afternoon trading Friday after dragging through a weak morning. The Nasdaq rose 0.2% and the S&P 500 edged up 0.1%. Both were off about 0.7% at Friday’s low. The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 0.3%, boosted by McDonald’s (MCD) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH). Both were up nearly 2%. Volume tracked lower on both major exchanges in the stock market today.