Major US stock indices closed mixed, as Facebook (FB) and Microsoft (MSFT) went up after the companies published strong quarterly reports, supporting the Nasdaq index, while 3M (MMM) shares fell after publishing disappointing quarterly results / forecasts put pressure on the Dow.

The Facebook report (FB; + 6.3%) released the day before showed that the company's profit for the first quarter of the 2019 fiscal year reached $ 1.89 per share, which was higher than the average forecast of analysts at $ 1.61. Quarterly social network revenues amounted to $ 15.077 billion (+ 26.0% y / y), while the average forecast of analysts assumed $ 14.973 billion.

Microsoft (MSFT; + 3.6%) reported that in the first quarter they earned $ 1.14 per share, which was above the analysts' average forecast of $ 1.00. The quarterly tech-giant revenues were $ 30.571 billion (+ 14.0% y / y), while the average forecast of analysts assumed $ 29.860 billion.

3M (MMM; -13.06%) reported a profit of $ 2.23 per share, which was below the analysts' average forecast of $ 2.50. At the same time, its quarterly revenue amounted to $ 7.863 billion (-5.0% y / y), while the average forecast of analysts assumed $ 8.025 billion. The company also reported a decrease in the forecast earnings per share figure for the whole 2019.

The focus was also on data from the Department of Commerce, which showed that orders for durable goods in the United States increased in March. According to the report, orders for durable goods rose by 2.7% in March after falling by a revised 1.1% in February. Economists had expected durable goods orders to grow by 0.8% compared with the 1.6 percent reduction originally announced in the previous month. Excluding the sharp increase in orders for transportation equipment, orders for durable goods rose by 0.4% in March after a decrease of -0.2% in February.

Most of the components of DOW finished trading in positive territory (18 out of 30). Outsiders were 3M Company (MMM; -13.06%). The growth leader was Microsoft Corporation (MSFT; + 3.63%).

Most sectors of the S & P recorded a decline. The largest decline was in the industrial goods sector (-1.6%). The health sector grew the most (+ 1.2%).

At the time of closing:

Dow 26,461.95 -135.10 -0.51%

S & P 500 2,926.17 -1.08 -0.04%

Nasdaq 100 8,118.68 +16.67 +0.21%