US stocks ended mixed, yesterday, as investors worked through a large batch of corporate earnings from a range of companies, including Gilead Sciences, McDonald's and Texas Instruments. So the Dow Jones industrial average fell 19 points, or 0.1 percent, to close at 18,474. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose barely one point, to 2,169. And the Nasdaq composite added 12 points, or 0.2 percent, to 5,110. Housing data that showed the biggest gain in new-home sales in eight years bolstered optimism in the economy and raised the specter that the Fed may strike a more hawkish tone on rates after its two-day meeting that ends today. While recent economic data have beaten forecasts, Chair Janet Yellen and her colleagues have emphasized a gradual pace of tightening.