Stocks remained mixed early Wednesday afternoon as investors weighed a strong gain in housing starts against weak earnings at IBM (IBM) and Intel (INTC). The S&P 500 rose 0.4% and the Nasdaq rose 0.3%. The Dow Jones industrial average fell a fraction. Volume was down 2% on the Nasdaq and 3% on the NYSE compared with the same time Tuesday. The SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF rose 3% after the Census Bureau reported that housing starts jumped in September