Stocks pared gains on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 trading flat, as a 2 percent decline in crude futures weighed on energy shares.

But the Nasdaq rose, lifted by a 1 percent jump in Apple Inc and a 1.4 percent advance in the semiconductors subsector <.SOXX>.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 11.34 points, or 0.11 percent, to 10,460.24. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> edged up 0.15 points, or 0.01 percent, to 1,109.01. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gained 12.49 points, or 0.57 percent, to 2,188.30.

(Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

Apple inc. Energy