04:07 PM EDT, 10/23/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes ended lower Wednesday as markets analyzed the latest corporate earnings and economic data ahead of Tesla's (TSLA) results.

Tesla is scheduled to report results after Wednesday's closing bell, along with other major names like T-Mobile US ( TMUS ) , IBM ( IBM ) , ServiceNow ( NOW ) and O'Reilly Automotive (ORLY).

* The Fed's Beige Book indicated that the US economy was little changed since early September in most of the country outside of modest growth in two Federal Reserve districts, with a decline in manufacturing activity, mixed consumer spending, and an increased inventory of homes for sale.

* The Mortgage Bankers Association reported a 6.7% decline in mortgage applications in the week ended Oct. 18 to their lowest level in July after a 17% decline in the previous week. Refinancing activity and new home applications fell in the week due to a steady mortgage rate after a series of weekly increases.

* December West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed down $0.97 to settle at $70.77 per barrel, while December Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen down $1.03 to $75.01 after a report showed a larger-than-expected rise in U.S. inventories last week and the dollar strengthened.

* McDonald's (MCD) was down 5.2% after US health authorities said they are investigating an E. coli outbreak in several states linked to the fast-food giant's Quarter Pounder burgers.

* AT&T ( T ) posted an unexpected decline in Q3 revenue amid challenges in business wireline that led to a multi-billion dollar write-down, though it remains on track to meet its full-year targets. The company's shares were up 4.6%.