Global Stocks: U.S. stock indices posted moderate declines

U.S. stock indices declined on Wednesday with health-care companies leading declines after a negative report on Canadian drugmaker Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (the company denied this report).

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 48.50, or 0.3%, to 17168.61. The S&P 500 declined 11.83 points, or 0.6%, to 2018.94 (its health-care sector fell 0.9%). The Nasdaq Composite Index lost 40.85, or 0.8%, to 4840.12.

Meanwhile Boeing reported that its third-quarter earnings rose 25% on continued growth in deliveries of commercial jetliners. This report pushed the company's shares up by 2.31, or 1.7%, to 141.19.

General Motors' third quarter profits exceeded expectations. Its shares rose 5.8%.

Coca-Cola Co.'s shares lost 0.2% amid weaker-than-expected revenues.

This morning in Asia Hong Kong Hang Seng fell 0.92%, or 211.54, or 22,777.68. China Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.24%, or 7.81, to 3.328.49. The Nikkei fell 0.85%, or 157.53, to 18,396.75.

Asian indices outcide China fell, while Chinese stocks climbed with small-caps leading the gains.

Shares of Air China and China Southern Airline rose 4.9% and 2.8% after the Shanghai Securities News reported that the carriers were considering a merger.