Closing Bell: Schlumberger Falls on Weak Third Quarter; U.S. Stocks Mixed

A positive earnings report from Microsoft (MSFT) - Get Report and a weaker one from GE (GE) - Get Report 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) - Get Report 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) - Get Report 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.