Global indicators for stocks were mixed Wednesday ahead of a batch of U.S. economic data.

Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods fell in October for a third straight month, the longest stretch of weakness in nearly four years. The U.S. Commerce Department reported that orders for durable goods declined 0.4% last month, a weaker showing than expected.

Other U.S. economic reports slated for release are, October existing-home sales and weekly energy inventories data.

This afternoon, the U.S. Federal Reserve releases the “beige book” about the state of the economy.

There are no major economic releases from Statistics Canada today.

The Canadian dollar opened at US$1.0022 this morning, down almost three-tenths of a cent from Tuesday’s close.

In today’s earnings news, Bombardier reported a third-quarter profit of US$91 million, up from US$74 million in the year-ago period.

The transportation equipment manufacturer also announced that Pierre Beaudoin becomes CEO effective with the next annual meeting on June 4, succeeding his father, Laurent.

after markets closed Tuesday, Wells Fargo said it would set aside US$1.4 billion to cover losses from the real-estate meltdown, and mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said it is offering US$6 billion in stock and cutting its quarterly dividend.

Gold futures dropped sharply, falling US$14.50 to US$799.50 an ounce.

Crude-oil futures climbed 13¢ to US$94.55 a barrel after Tuesday’s big drop.

Overseas, the FTSE 100 wobbled between positive and negative territory throughout the day, while the Nikkei 225 ended with a 0.5% loss in Tokyo.

On Tuesday, the Toronto stock market posted a modest gain as a positive showing in financials helped offset falling resource stocks.

The S&P/TSX composite index finished the session up 48.07 points, or 0.36%, to 13,369.12.

The financial sector was up 2.55%.

Bank of Montreal shares rose $2.55 to $57.95 even as its fourth-quarter profit dropped 35% to $452 million after one-time charges, including a big hit related to its exposure to stricken credit markets.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index fell 55.72 points, or 2.01%, to 2,721.28.

In New York, U.S. stocks rose after Abu Dhabi’s $7.5 billion purchase of a stake in Citigroup Inc. spurred a rebound in financial stocks and a drop in oil prices boosted shares of big manufacturers.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 215.00 points, or 1.69%, at 12,958.44. The S&P 500 was up 21.01 points, or 1.49%, at 1,428.23. The Nasdaq composite index jumped 39.81 points, or 1.57%, at 2,580.80.