Wall Street ends mixed as earnings lift the Dow

STORY: U.S. stocks closed mixed, with the Dow adding nearly half a percent, the S&P 500 flat and the Nasdaq dipping marginally.Third-quarter earnings season has shifted into overdrive, with corporate giants such as General Motors, GE Aerospace, 3M and Coca-Cola posting generally upbeat results.But with major U.S. stock indexes hovering near record highs and valuations stretched, upbeat results alone could prove insufficient to sustain investor risk appetite, says Richard Mullen, CEO and founder of Pallas Capital Advisors."I think that the majority of the returns have been put in for the market this year. I wouldn't expect a further prolific advancement to the upside. I think we could stay status quo or trade sideways, perhaps down a little bit. [FLASH] Earnings, again, is going to drive the markets, but I also think that a lot of the price appreciation has baked in the earnings that we're seeing right now."Among those that reported results, General Motors lifted its forecast and tempered its anticipated tariff hit, sending shares up nearly 15%.Coca-Cola shares gained more than 4% after solid consumer demand drove its better-than-expected results.Manufacturer 3M advanced more than 7.5% after hiking its full-year forecast, bolstered by its focus on higher margin products and cost controls.On the flip side, Netflix dropped almost 6% in extended trading after the streaming company missed earnings targets due to an unexpected expense from a dispute with Brazilian tax authorities.