U.S. equities are mixed in afternoon action after the Dow and the S&P 500 threatened record highs yesterday. Focus on corporate profits remains, as Q3 earnings season shifts into a higher gear. However, the persistent uncertainties surrounding supply-chain bottlenecks, inflation expectations, the surge in energy prices, and monetary policy direction continue to keep sentiment in check. Fiscal policy is also adding to the mix, as Congress continues to wrangle over a spending package, while some positive news regarding vaccine boosters is also being digested. IBM, AT&T, and Tesla all beat earnings estimates but revenues were below expectations, while Southwest Airlines and American Airlines both reported smaller-than-expected losses following a challenging third quarter for air travel. Treasuries are lower following some recent steepening of the yield curve, and the U.S. dollar is ticking higher, while gold is losing modest ground, and crude oil prices are falling. The economic calendar is robust, as jobless claims came in better than expected, continuing their decline since the height of the pandemic, and the Philly Fed Manufacturing Index decelerated more than expected, while the Leading Economic Index rose for the seventh-straight month but at a slower rate than expected, and existing home sales solidly beat expectations. Europe finished mostly lower.

Stocks turn mixed as investors digest earnings, data.

Natural Gas prices have waivered recently based on decreased demand.