04:00 PM EDT, 10/25/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes ended mixed Friday as markets weighed the latest corporate earnings and economic data.

* US durable goods orders fell in September, weighed down by sharp 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 said in a report. "Many months of brutal Boeing ( BA ) 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 showed.

* December West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed up $1.69 to settle at $71.78 per barrel, while December Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen up $1.61 to $75.99 as supply remains robust and Chinese demand remains light.

* Deckers Outdoor ( DECK ) shares jumped over 10% after the company delivered a fiscal Q2 beat late Thursday.

* McDonald's (MCD) fell 3% after US health authorities said that the number of E. coli cases potentially linked to the fast-food giant's Quarter Pounder hamburger increased to 75 across 13 US states as of Thursday, adding that the actual number of sick people could be "much higher."