Markets in the United States struggled for direction overnight, as traders sorted through a slew of corporate profit reports and some economic data.
Ford's third-quarter after-tax profit slumped by more than 50 per cent, after the car-maker's North American business was hit by lower sales and higher recall costs.
Ford's net income tumbled to $US961 million from $US2.2 billion a year earlier.
The company said it still expected full-year earnings of $US10.2 billion.
The world's largest broadcasting and cable TV company, Comcast, lost value after Barclays and Deutsche Bank downgraded the stock, citing increased competition from AT&T and DirecTV Now.
The healthcare sector was a bright spot, helping to limit the overall losses, thanks to strong results and forecasts from pharmaceutical manufacturers Briston-Myers and Celgene.
The parent company of Google, Alphabet, and online retailer Amazon fell ahead of their quarterly earnings which were scheduled for release after the market closed.
In economic news, initial claims for unemployment benefits fell by 3,000 last week to 258,000.
Orders for durable goods fell by 0.1 per cent in September, against analysts' expectations of a steady result.
Westpac's senior market strategist Imre Speizer wrote in a note that there were some worrying signs of reluctance to invest in the private sector.
"Core orders/shipments were mixed, the tersely named 'non-defence capital goods shipments ex-aircraft' rose in line with consensus at 0.3 per cent and the prior month was bumped up by 0.1 percentage points," he wrote.
"More ominously though, 'non-defence capital goods orders ex-aircraft' fell 1.2 per cent against -0.1 per cent expected, but the still weak profile for core orders reaffirmed the lack of business' willingness to invest."
Pending home sales in the US increased by 1.5 per cent last month, which was better than the 1 per cent most economists were looking for.
British economy beats post-Brexit expectations
European markets fared reasonably well overnight, with some stronger-than-expected economic growth figures for Britain, underpinning sentiment.
The Office for National Statistics reported growth in the three months to September fell to 0.5 per cent, down from 0.7 per cent in the June quarter.
Despite the slowdown, the figure was stronger than the 0.3 per cent expected by economists.
However, the chief market analyst at Think Markets, Naeem Aslam, wrote in an economic note that there was some unsettling __news beneath the headline numbers.
"Traders were waiting for an upbeat number and they have got one," he wrote.
"But manufacturing and the industrial sector have performed badly and this is what we what to emphasise.
"It is certainly too early to call that Brexit effects are over or they will not have an impact on the UK's growth.
"The resilience picture may continue, but our chief concern is towards the investment and business investment and foreign investors are very hesitant in this space."
London's FTSE 100 Index closed 0.4 per cent higher at 6,986.
The local share market is set for a solid start, with the ASX SPI 200 up 0.5 per cent to 5,281.
The Australian dollar was sold off overnight and, at 7:30am (AEDT), it was worth 75.87 US cents.
West Texas crude oil had edged up to $US49.66 per barrel, Tapis had risen to $US51.12 per barrel and spot gold had increased to $US1,269 an ounce.
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