US close: Markets finish mixed under tsunami of third-quarter reports

Wall Street finished mixed on Thursday following another wave of corporate results, and news that the White House's tax reform plans had cleared another key hurdle.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished up 0.31% at 23,400.86 and the S&P 500 was ahead 0.13% at 2,560.40, while the Nasdaq 100 lost 0.28% to 6,037.87.

During the day, the US House of Representatives approved the fiscal year 2018 budget which would pave the way towards reforming the country's tax code, which Republicans in the lower chamber continued to insist would occur before Thanksgiving.

On the economic front, Thursday's slate of data was more or less as expected by the consensus.

America's trade deficit widened by 1.6% month-on-month from -$63.3bn in August to reach $64.1bn for September, while economists had forecast a shortfall of $64.0bn.

Meanwhile, initial US jobless claims rose by 10,000 during the week ending on 21 October to reach 233,000, according to the Department of Labor.

Pending home sales were flat on the month in September, instead of the 0.3% rise that economists had anticipated.

Overseas, just before the opening bell the European Central Bank announced that it would leave its main policy interest rates unchanged and confirmed that it plans to reduce the level of its monthly bond purchases, but extend the length of time that its stimulus programme would run for.

Purchases would drop to €30bn from €60bn as of January, but the monetary stimulus programme would run until at least next September.

In US corporate news, Celgene plummeted 16.37% after the release of its third-quarter results, while shares of Mylan rose 2.17% on news that it won a UK patent case over Teva's multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone.

Twitter was Celgene's mirror image, as its shares rocketed 18.49% on the back of its third-quarter earnings that beat expectations.

Walgreens Boots Alliance was also active, falling 3.24% as its quarterly profit and revenues surpassed analysts' expectations.

Bristol-Myers Squibb was another top faller, slipping 4.77% after it posted a 7% jump in third-quarter revenue but adjusted earnings missed expectations on the back of an inventory write-off.

Oil producer ConocoPhillips jumped 3% as it reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit but cut its capital budget to further reduce costs, while Dunkin Brands gained 0.43% following a surprise drop in comparable sales at its Baskin-Robbins restaurants, which dented overall third-quarter profit.

Ford shares were 1.91% firmer after the car maker's third-quarter earnings beat estimates and the company lifted its guidance on full-year profit.

Pfizer dipped 1.61% following a Reuters report that it will start the auction process for its consumer healthcare division in November, while Buffalo Wild Wings surged 19.57% after the restaurant chain posted a big rise in profit late on Wednesday.

Dow Jones - Risers

Nike Inc. (NKE) $56.81 6.35%
American Express Co. (AXP) $95.67 1.95%
Intel Corp. (INTC) $41.35 1.40%
Home Depot Inc. (HD) $167.66 0.98%
JP Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM) $101.74 0.81%
Walt Disney Co. (DIS) $98.56 0.78%
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) $88.62 0.73%
Apple Inc. (AAPL) $157.41 0.64%
Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) $87.50 0.60%
Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $209.15 0.48%

Dow Jones - Fallers

General Electric Co. (GE) $21.32 -2.60%
Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) $61.99 -1.77%
International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) $153.54 -1.50%
Pfizer Inc. (PFE) $35.74 -1.46%
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) $241.72 -1.27%
Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) $136.94 -0.94%
Travelers Company Inc. (TRV) $131.94 -0.94%
3M Co. (MMM) $232.94 -0.73%
Chevron Corp. (CVX) $118.47 -0.66%
Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) $48.89 -0.10%

S&P 500 - Risers

Aetna Inc. (AET) $178.60 11.57%
Nike Inc. (NKE) $56.81 6.35%
Avery Dennison Corp. (AVY) $104.85 6.02%
Anthem Inc (ANTM) $206.91 5.97%
Ameriprise Financial Inc. (AMP) $162.80 5.73%
O'Reilly Automotive Inc. (ORLY) $214.00 5.56%
Air Products & Chemicals Inc. (APD) $161.39 4.90%
FMC Technologies Inc. (FTI) $26.60 4.81%
Robert Half International Inc. (RHI) $53.26 4.72%
Praxair Inc. (PX) $149.60 4.65%

S&P 500 - Fallers

Celgene Corp. (CELG) $99.99 -16.37%
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (CMG) $281.60 -13.17%
Tenet Healthcare Corp. (THC) $12.87 -9.87%
Edwards Lifesciences Corp. (EW) $103.37 -9.52%
Allegion (ALLE) $80.72 -8.79%
Xerox Corp. (XRX) $30.65 -8.37%
Spectra Energy Corp. (SE) $14.02 -8.01%
Universal Health Services Inc. (UHS) $103.86 -6.85%
Endo International Plc (ENDP) $6.69 -6.82%
Hess Corp. (HES) $41.28 -6.31%

Nasdaq 100 - Risers

O'Reilly Automotive Inc. (ORLY) $214.00 5.56%
Mercadolibre Inc. (MELI) $229.00 3.38%
PACCAR Inc. (PCAR) $72.08 2.63%
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. (JBHT) $108.88 2.49%
Western Digital Corp. (WDC) $89.38 2.39%
Marriott International - Class A (MAR) $118.81 2.13%
KLA-Tencor Corp. (KLAC) $108.85 2.01%
Lam Research Corp. (LRCX) $206.78 1.83%
Fastenal Co. (FAST) $47.49 1.82%
Dollar Tree Inc (DLTR) $93.23 1.77%

Nasdaq 100 - Fallers

Celgene Corp. (CELG) $99.99 -16.37%
Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) $316.29 -8.30%
American Airlines Group (AAL) $48.61 -4.72%
Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ALXN) $126.07 -4.50%
Liberty Interactive Corporation - Series A Liberty Ventures (LVNTA) $53.96 -4.44%
CA Inc. (CA) $32.63 -4.39%
Shire Plc Ads (SHPG) $138.24 -3.79%
Express Scripts Holding Co (ESRX) $58.93 -3.65%
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA) $67.11 -3.24%
Biomarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (BMRN) $82.53 -2.67%