Wall Street ends mixed, European shares fall for fourth day

The S&P 500 fell for a fourth day and the Nasdaq dropped on Wednesday after a rare earnings stumble from Apple, while strong results from Boeing and Caterpillar lifted the Dow.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 58.73 points, or 0.47 percent, at 12,676.05. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 0.42 point, or 0.03 percent, at 1,337.89. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 8.75 points, or 0.31 percent, at 2,854.24.

European stocks extended their fall into a fourth session in thin trade and braced for further losses as weak US home sales data and revenue from consumer bellwether Apple wiped out a tentative rebound.

Pan-European indexes turned negative in the afternoon, when data showed US single-family home sales fell by the most in more than a year in June and Apple's quarterly revenue came in lower than expected, hit by a sagging European economy.

The FTSEurofirst 300 index closed 0.72 points lower, or 0.1 percent, at 1,017.89 points, adding to the 45.86 points shed in the previous three sessions on mounting concerns about the sustainability of Spain's finances.

In Asia, the Nikkei share average fell 1.4 percent to a seven-week closing low after disappointing results from Apple Inc results hit the iPhone maker's Japanese suppliers, while printer makers fell after Lexmark International cut its outlook.

The Nikkei dropped 122.19 points to 8,365.90, edging closer to its June 4 low of 8,238.96. The broader Topix shed 1.6 percent to 706.46.