By Benjamin Pimentel, MarketWatch

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Technology stocks traded higher Wednesday, as shares of Amazon.com jumped following results that showed the online retailer generating stronger-than-expected operating income.

The sector also got an early lift from Research In Motion Ltd. (RIMM) , U.S.-listed shares of which traded up 4% to $16.33. The handset maker geared up for the much-anticipated rollout of BlackBerry10 at a launch event in New York.

The early spotlight fell on Amazon (AMZN), which saw its stock jump more than 3% to $268.37. Late Tuesday, the company report weak sales but surprisingly robust operating income for the fourth quarter.

Chip stocks also posted gains, with Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) and Texas Instruments (TXN) gaining 1%.

Meanwhile, shares of Facebook Inc. (FB) traded up 2% to $31.36. The advance came ahead of the social networking giant's fourth-quarter financial results due after the closing bell.

On the downside, shares of Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) and Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) traded fractionally lower. Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Oracle Corp. (ORCL) also in the red.

More broadly, the Nasdaq Composite Index (RIXF) was up 1 point to stand at 3,155. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) moved up 0.5%.

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