US benchmark equity indexes were mixed intraday as markets weighed the latest corporate earnings and economic data. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.6% at 42,127.1 after midday Friday, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.5% to 18,515.3. The S&P 500 was little changed at 5,803.1. Among sectors, financials and utilities saw the steepest declines, while technology and communication services led the gainers. In company news, Mohawk Industries saw its shares down nearly 13%, marking the biggest drop on the S&P 500.
Late Thursday, the company issued a fourth-quarter earnings outlook that fell short of Wall Street estimates. HCA Healthcare's third-quarter results missed expectations as Hurricane Helene impacted some of its facilities. The hospital operator stated it anticipates further hurricane-related hits in the ongoing quarter, leading to a 10% decrease in its shares, making it the second-worst performer on the S&P 500. McDonald's experienced the steepest decline on the Dow, down 2.9%, following reports from US health authorities that the number of E.
coli cases potentially linked to the fast-food giant's Quarter Pounder hamburgers has risen to 75 across 13 US states as of Thursday. Health officials noted that the actual number of sick individuals could be "much higher." On a positive note, Deckers Outdoor shares jumped nearly 11% intraday Friday, marking it as the second-best performer on the S&P 500, following a fiscal second-quarter beat announced late Thursday. The US two-year yield increased 1.9 basis points to 4.09% intraday, while the 10-year rate gained 1.8 basis points to 4.22%. In economic news, US durable goods orders fell in September, primarily due to significant declines in defense and civilian aircraft, according to government data.
"Pop the hood and the September durable goods report reveals encouraging signs of life away from the gloom of nondefense aircraft orders," BMO stated in a report. "Many months of brutal Boeing order declines have pushed nondefense aircraft orders down 43.9% from a year ago." US consumer sentiment rose to its highest level since April, while long-term inflation expectations eased, final results from the University of Michigan's Surveys of Consumers illustrated. West Texas Intermediate crude oil increased 1.9% to $71.62 a barrel intraday. Gold edged up 0.3% at $2,757.10 per troy ounce, while silver added 0.3% to $33.89 per ounce..