U.S. stocks are higher in early trading after technology giant Cisco Systems said it will beat profit estimates, and a government report showed U.S. productivity rose sharply in the fourth quarter.

The Dow Jones Industrial average is up 42 points at 9,728, while the broad market indicator, the S&P 500, is up 3 points at 1,093. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index is 6 points higher at 1,845.

In London, the Financial Times Index is down 7 points at 5,087 while in Paris the CAC 40 is up 6 points at 4,314. The Dax in Frankfurt is 77 points (1.6 percent) lower at 4,860.

Earlier in Tokyo, the Nikkei Index fell 55 points to close at 9,421, while in Hong Kong the Hang Seng Index fell 17 points to end the day at 10,592.

The price of gold in London is $301.50 an ounce, up $9.85 - the first time gold has risen above $300 an ounce in two years. Gold has risen as producers have cut back supplies, which could mean prices could go even higher in the days ahead.

The dollar is mostly lower against the other major currencies.

Some information for this report provided by Bloomberg.

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