A positive earnings report from Microsoft (MSFT) and a weaker one from GE (GE) pulled markets in different directions for much of the day. Wall Street ended a choppy session mixed. Drilling activity in the U.S. rose in the past week, a move in the wrong direction for commodity traders worried about domestic and international oversupply. The number of active oil rigs rose by 11 in the past week. Schlumberger (SLB) tumbled after reporting a mixed third quarter in which it exceeded earnings estimates but fell short on sales. Revenue dropped just over 17% as low oil prices continued to beat up the industry. Skechers (SKX) slumped after missing third-quarter estimates and guiding for a below-consensus fourth quarter. The footwear brand blamed a shorter back-to-school season this year. TheStreet's Keris Lahiff reports from Wall Street.
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