By Mark DeCambre, MarketWatch , Sunny Oh

Boeing stock down three straight days in a row

U.S. stock benchmarks edged higher Monday, amid optimism over tariff talks and better-than-expected corporate earnings, but a decline in shares of Boeing was capping gains in the blue-chip Dow index.

How are major indexes performing?

The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged 20 points, or less than 0.1%, higher at 26,790.

Boeing Co.'s stock (BA) extended its decline to a two-month low, down 3.6%, following a report on Friday that said the company may have misled federal aviation authorities (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/boeing-stock-at-its-lowest-in-two-months-after-report-jet-maker-may-have-misled-faa-2019-10-18) about the safety of the 737 Max jet. The drop was producing a roughly 85-point drag on the aviation and defense contractor. The company has traded down three straight sessions.

The S&P 500 index , meanwhile, advanced 16 points, or 0.5%, to 3,001.81, while the Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 63 points, or 0.8%, to reach 8,152.

Last week (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/stock-index-futures-struggle-for-direction-after-weak-china-growth-2019-10-18), the Dow declined 0.2%, falling for four of the past five weeks, the S&P 500 index rose 0.5%, notching two consecutive weekly gains, while the Nasdaq Composite Index produced a weekly advance of 0.4% and has gained for three consecutive weeks.

What's driving the market?

China's Vice Premier Liu He said Washington and Beijing have laid the groundwork for success in the first phase of its attempt to carve out a resolution to its trade disagreement. "China and the U.S. have made substantial progress in many aspects, and laid an important foundation for a phase one agreement," said China's top trade negotiator at a technology conference in Nanchang, Jiangxi, on Saturday, Bloomberg News reported (paywall) (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-19/china-s-liu-confirms-phase-one-of-u-s-trade-deal-is-in-progress?cmpid=BBD102119_MKT&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=191021&utm_campaign=markets).

Meanwhile, U.K. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was forced to ask the European Union for a three-month extension to the Oct. 31 deadline to exit from the trade bloc, representing the latest setback for the British leader and the country's yearslong attempt to forge an orderly separation. The Germany's economic affairs minister said he thought the EU would approve the extension request.

Johnson is seeking another vote on his Brexit proposal in Parliament on Monday, but U.K. House of Commons Speaker John Bercow rejected his bid (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/uk-house-speaker-bercow-rejects-government-bid-to-hold-a-new-brexit-vote-2019-10-21), saying a new vote "would be repetitive and disorderly."

Read:What a Brexit deal would mean for U.S. stocks and global investors (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/what-a-brexit-deal-would-mean-for-us-stocks-and-global-investors-2019-10-17)

Markets have been focused on the threat of Britain crashing out of the EU without a trade agreement, which some fear could disrupt global markets.

In corporate earnings, of the roughly 75 S&P 500 companies, 82.7% reported better-than-expected third-quarter results, while only 12% reported earnings that were below analysts' expectations, according to Refinitiv. By comparison, the long-term average of outperformance since 1994 is 65% and 20% for cooler-than-expected results.

This week sees 130 S&P 500 companies, or a quarter of the index, expected to report quarterly earnings.

"Equities are looking more positively at U.S.-Chinese talks and the potential of a better than expected earnings season showing from major names this week," wrote Arnim Holzer, macro strategist for EAB Investment Group.

Which stocks are in focus?

Shares of Halliburton Co.(HAL)rose 6.2% on Monday (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/halliburtons-stock-falls-after-profit-matches-expectations-but-revenue-falls-below-2019-10-21), after the oil-services company reported a third-quarter profit that was in line with expectations but revenue that fell below, amid lower pressure pumping activity and reduced drilling and wireline activity.

Shares of McDermott International Inc.(MDR) fell more than 6% even (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/mcdermotts-stock-rockets-after-new-17-billion-financing-deal-2019-10-21)after the company announced an agreement on $1.7 billion in new financing. This comes amid reports that McDermott was in talks to restructure its balance sheet.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd's U.S.-listed stock (TEVA.TV)rose 2.6% (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/mckesson-cardinal-health-amerisource-bergen-and-teva-stocks-all-fall-after-settling-with-ohio-counties-on-opioid-suit-2019-10-21) after several drug companies reached a settlement with two Ohio counties in opioid lawsuits, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

How are other markets performing?

The 10-year Treasury note yield gained 4 basis points (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/treasury-yields-climb-amid-brexit-deal-drama-2019-10-21) to trade at 1.787%.

West Texas Intermediate crude for November delivery was under pressure (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-prices-set-for-second-skid-in-a-row-as-investors-fret-about-crude-demand-2019-10-21), shedding 49 cents, or 0.9%, at $53.29 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Gold for December delivery on Comex was down (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/silver-prices-rally-16-leaving-gold-in-the-dust-2019-10-21)around 0.4%.

The ICE U.S. Dollar Index , which tracks the performance of the greenback against six major rivals, was up less than 0.1% to 97.328.

Global stock-markets were also trading higher at the start of the week. The Stoxx Europe 600 was up around 0.7% to 394.58. In Asia, Japan's Topix index gained 0.4% and China's CSI 300 index finished up 0.3%.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 21, 2019 11:37 ET (15:37 GMT)