U.S. stock futures fall on Wednesday as markets absorbed another busy day of earnings, along with a full schedule of economic data, including durable-goods orders and new-home sales.

  General Dynamics’ third-quarter profit declines 10% amid a sharp drop in demand for business jets, but military business more than compensates. As a result, the defense contractor revises higher its projected profit range for 2009.

  The U.S. dollar rises against most of its major rivals except the Japanese yes, as falling global equity markets leads investors to seek safety in the greenback and cut exposure to risky assets.

  Hess Corp. said Wednesday its third-quarter net income fell by more than half, but the oil and gas company managed to boost production by 16% to take the sting out of lower prices for its hydrocarbons.

  =Stronger orders for capital and defense goods and machinery translated into a 1.0% increase in durable-goods orders in September.

  U.S. stock market futures fell on Wednesday as investors absorbed another busy day of earnings news, along with the latest figures on durable-goods orders.

  GlaxoSmithKline said Wednesday that its third-quarter profit rose 30%, topping analyst expectations, as Europe’s largest drugmaker expects to make further progress during the rest of the year.

  A roundup of the latest corporate earnings reports and what companies are saying about future quarters.

  Paper-packaging companies International Paper Co. and MeadWestvaco Corp. reported higher third-quarter profits on Wednesday, as steep cost cutting through capacity reductions, plant closings and layoffs more than offset a decline in revenue.

  Among the companies whose shares are expected to see active trade in Wednesday’s session are Ashland, Coke Enterprises, DreamWorks, E-Trade, General Dynamics, Hess, Interpublic, Molex, Norfolk Southern, Target, Unisys, Visa and WellPoint.