Stocks have been struggling for direction, getting pulled downward by fears about the economy and then seeing big jumps when investors get a little less pessimistic. Thursday appeared to be a somewhat more upbeat day, as markets opened slightly higher, defying early declines in stock index futures in the premarket session.

Two of the most anticipated earnings releases of the week both came out late Wednesday, and shareholders have had a chance to digest what Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) said about their respective results. The news wasn't all good, though, and market participants have to weigh both positive and negative factors in figuring out what the two companies' reports say about the broader economy.

Shares of Tesla were down 6% early Thursday, adding to Wednesday's 5% loss. Even though investors had an inkling that the EV pioneer's third-quarter financial results would show some challenges because of the production and delivery figures that it had reported at the beginning of October, Tesla's final numbers were nevertheless disappointing to some.

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Source Fool.com