04:00 PM EDT, 07/29/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes ended higher Monday as markets awaited major corporate earnings and the Federal Reserve's latest monetary policy decision on Wednesday.

* Welltower ( WELL ) and Chesapeake Energy ( CHK ) are among the companies scheduled to report their latest quarterly financial results after Monday's closing bell.

Mega-cap companies Apple ( AAPL ) , Microsoft ( MSFT ) , Meta Platforms ( META ) , and Amazon.com ( AMZN ) will report later in the week. Other big names include Intel ( INTC ) , Boeing ( BA ) , Pfizer ( PFE ) , AMD (AMD), and Exxon Mobil ( XOM ) .

* The Dallas Federal Reserve's monthly manufacturing reading fell to minus 17.5 in July from minus 15.1 in June, below a level of minus 15.5 expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

* September West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell $1.29 to $75.87 per barrel, while September Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen down $1.37 at $79.76. The oil market remains in the summer doldrums with weak demand from China, the No.1 importer, somewhat offset by geopolitical tension in the Middle East as Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon trade attacks.

* McDonald's (MCD) shares rose 3.7% even as the fast-food heavyweight reported Q2 earnings and revenue below market estimates, while same-store sales declined across every segment amid cautious consumer spending and lower restaurant traffic in major markets.

* Arm Holdings ( ARM ) shares fell 4.9% as HSBC downgraded the stock to reduce from hold.