Dow, S&P 500 struggle to deepen ascent into record territory early Wednesday

U.S. stock benchmarks were fighting to gain further traction towward record heights, as investors absorbed a clutch of earnings from McDonald's Corp , Boeing Co. and among others. Meanwhile, tensions between Washington and Beijing were also in focus after U.S. regulators banned China Telecom Corp. from operating in the U.S. The Dow Jones Industrial Average were trading 0.1% lower at 35,739, the S&P 500 index was down less than 0.1% at 4,572, while the Nasdaq Composite Index was up 0.3% at 15,275. Data showed U.S. durable goods orders fell 0.4% in October, compared with expectations for a 1% decline. "Core" orders rose by 0.8%. Separately, the government said the trade deficit widened in September. Elsewhere, Sino-U.S. tensions were in focus after the Federal Communications Commission gave China Telecom 60 days to leave the U.S. market. Regulators cited a potential national security threat from the company, such as the disruption of U.S. communications, amid rising tensions between the countries.

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