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Stocks lost highs to end lower after crude oil tumbled to a one-month low. Prices came under pressure after non-OPEC members showed reluctance over the weekend to join OPEC countries in a production freeze arrangement. Producers will meet again in November. Southern Co. led the utilities sector higher after besting estimates in its third quarter. The electricity company posted a 16% surge in quarterly revenue. Brocade Communications shot higher in afternoon trading on reports it is looking to sell itself. Broadcom is a potential interested party. Valeant Pharmaceuticals dropped sharply in the final hour of trading on reports its former CEO and CFO are the focus of a criminal probe. The story is still developing.

U.S. stocks fluctuated as GE headlined a busy morning for deals news and crude oil tumbled below $48 a barrel. The energy sector was the worst performer on Wall Street. Business activity in the Chicago area weakened in October, according to the latest reading on Chicago PMI. The measure fell to its lowest level since May and fell short of analysts' forecasts of a slight increase. Constellation Brands agreed to purchase a Grupo Modelo brewery in Mexico for $600 million. The brewery will be used to ramp up production of Constellation's high-end Mexican beers. Modelo is a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch . Lumber Liquidators slumped after reporting a far wider quarterly loss than expected. However, the flooring company did show signs of recovery following last year's health and safety scandals.

Amazon ( ) issued earnings and a forecast that didn't match what investors were thinking. The stock is trading lower in the premarket. Amazon's forecast for the holiday season was slightly less than the highest expectations but the stock was priced for perfection. Business Insider is quoting internal documents saying the e-commerce company wants to open 2000 grocery stores over the next decade. Alphabet ( ), parent of Google, reported strong earnings driven by mobile sales. The tech company also announced a $7 billion stock buyback. Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat says the primary driver was strength in search and YouTube. She added that Google Cloud is also seeing substantial revenue growth. General Electric ( ) is reportedly in talks about some kind of partnership with Baker Hughes ( ). The Wall Street Journal originally reported the deal was a complete takeover but GE denies that. General Electric had said last week that the oil market has bottomed.

It was a volatile end to the week after federal investigators reopened a case into Hillary Clinton's email server. The FBI had found emails pertinent to the case, though did not know whether the material would be significant. Stocks plummeted before rebounding. Crude oil ended with a weekly loss for the first time since mid-September on skepticism over an OPEC deal. Oil held lower despite the first weekly decline in active drilling rigs in the U.S. since June. Regeneron fell after the FDA delayed approval for its treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. Officials ruled on a delay after finding manufacturing deficiencies at partner Sanofi's facility. Hanesbrands surged after providing positive sales guidance for its fourth quarter. The apparel brand anticipates quarterly sales of at least $1.7 billion. That came in above consensus.

Stocks climbed after third-quarter growth in the U.S. economy picked up speed. Healthy growth kept the Fed's December rate hike timeline intact. Chevron faced a tough quarter as oil prices remained low, reporting a 35% drop in net income and a 12% decline in revenue. Chevron also upped its quarterly dividend, its 29th straight increase. Hershey climbed as sales in North America, its major topline contributor, pushed profit higher. However, the chocolate maker anticipates full-year sales growth of just 1%, less than one-third of what analysts anticipated. Xerox reported a disappointing drop in sales as revenue in its legacy hardware division tumbled 9%. The company also settled a lawsuit that had prevented it from splitting into two by year's end.

U.S. Stocks inched higher at the open Friday on the news of better-than-expected economic data and mixed earnings reports. U.S. third quarter GDP expanded to 2.9%, the largest gain in two and a half years. The better-than-expected number was helped by an increase in exports and a buildup in inventories. Consumer spending also rose a moderate 2.1%. Exxon Mobile shares are in focus after the oil giant posted third quarter earnings of 63 cents a share, topping estimates by 5 cents. But revenue dropped 13 percent to $58.7 billion, below forecasts. Oil price declines dragged on its results. Shares of MasterCard are gaining ground. The credit card giant posted earnings of $1.08 a share, beating analysts estimates by a dime. Revenue saw a 14% jump to $2.9 billion. One standout in the report was the company's processed transactions that jumped 18% to 14.5 billion. Hershey's shares are also higher. The chocolate company posted better-than-expected earnings of $1.29 a share. It also beat by a dime. Revenue of $2 billion was slightly better than estimates. General Electric and oil services provider Baker Hughes are said to be in discussion for potential partnerships as both companies struggle with the slowing energy market. Shares of both companies rose following the news. TheStreet's Valerie Young reports from Wall Street.

Stock losses escalated in the final hour as an increase in Treasury yields hit defensive names in the utilities and materials sectors. Bond prices fell on diminished hopes of further monetary stimulus from some of the world's largest central banks. Bristol-Myers Squibb led the healthcare sector after laying out plans to reorganize, including redirecting spending toward key brands. The drugmaker also topped third-quarter earnings and increased its full-year outlook. CenturyLink spiked on reports it is in advanced talks to merge with Level 3 Communications . A deal could be announced in weeks. Anadarko climbed on reports Sanchez and Blackstone could team up to purchase its South Texas assets. A deal could value the assets between $3 billion and $3.5 billion.

Stocks fluctuated as a post-earnings rally in Twitter shares faded. Defensive stocks in the utilities and basic materials sectors were also a drag following an increase in 10-year Treasury yields. Strong demand in the U.S. housing sector boosted pending home sales to a higher level than expected in September. Activity in the Western and Southern markets boosted the bulk of growth last month. Potash reported double digit percentage declines in profit and sales over its recent quarter as the price of fertilizer nutrients continued to decline. Net income fell 71%, while sales dropped 26%. Groupon agreed to purchase LivingSocial, one of its big competitors in the online discounts market. Groupon did not disclose the price it paid, but said the cost was not material. The purchase is expected to add 1 million active customers.

U.S. stocks inched higher on the heels of better-than-expected earnings reports. Twitter shares were in focus after the social media platform posted third quarter adjusted per share earnings of $0.13, topping estimates of $0.09. Revenue of $616 million eclipsed forecasts of $606 million. Twitter is also set to trim 9% of its staff. Deutsche Bank posted an unexpected quarterly profit of 278 million euros, while analysts were expecting a loss of 610 million euros. The company also raised its litigation reserves to 5.9 billion euros, compared to 5.5 billion euros in its previous quarter. The bank faces a $14 billion settlement from the U.S. Department of Justice stemming from toxic mortgage securities it sold prior to the financial crisis. Ford shares moved lower after third quarter profit slumped 50% year-over-year as costs swelled amid a door latch recall. Adjusted per share earnings of $0.26 topped estimates of $0.20. Revenue of $35.9 billion eclipsed estimates of $33.8 billion. Plus, chipmaker Qualcomm has agreed to acquire NXP Semiconductors for $110 a share or $47 billion, which includes debt. Shares of both companies rose following the news. NXP is a holding of Jim Cramer's charitable trust, Action Alerts PLUS. TheStreet's Scott Gamm reports from Wall Street.

Stocks ended mixed after crude slumped to three-week lows as hopes of an OPEC deal faded. The Dow ended with gains, though, thanks to an earnings-driven increase in Boeing shares. Comcast posted a strong earnings report. The cable company added video customers over its recent quarter, rebounding from a loss a year earlier, while NBCUniversal reported a massive jump in revenue tied to Rio Olympics coverage. Garmin rose as quarterly strength in its wearables division helped to offset weakness in sales of its car GPS devices. Overall revenue rose just over 6%. Verizon's multibillion-dollar deal to acquire Yahoo! is still going forward, according to a Verizon exec. The acquisition was called into question after a massive security breach that affected 500 million accounts.