U.S. stocks closed mixed Wednesday, after investors parsed through a mixed bag of earnings and a weak economic report. In U.S. economic news, investors were disheartened by a report on durable goods orders that showed orders fell by 5.7 percent in March, which was much worse than analysts had predicted. In international economic news, investors were hopeful about continuing talk of a European Central Bank rate cut following weak eurozone data. Also, the Ifo German business climate index for April was weaker than expected. In corporate news, AT&T and Procter & Gamble were hit hard, closing down 5 percent and 6 percent. AT&T's sales came up short, while Procter & Gamble cut its guidance. Apple beat expectations and announced it would raise its quarterly dividend, as well as boost its stock buyback program. But the company still struggled with lower profits. Boeing was the biggest gainer on the Dow, after it reported an increase in profits, even as revenue was damaged by its grounded Dreamliners. Ford reported a jump in earnings, helped by sales in North America. Shares of Yum Brands jumped more than 7 percent after the fast-food restaurant operator reported earnings that topped Wall Street's low expectations. First Solar was the biggest gainer on the S&P 500. Shares hit a new 52-week high, pulling other solar stocks higher. The dollar rose against the euro and the pound, but fell versus the yen. Light sweet crude oil for June delivery gained $2.25 to $91.43 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold futures moved up $14.90 to $1,423.70 an ounce. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 43.16, or 0.29 percent, to 14,676.30. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 0.01, or 0.00 percent, to 1,578.79. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index gained 0.32, or 0.01 percent, to 3,269.65.
