US equity indexes ended lower Wednesday after the 10-year government bonds displayed improved demand from a month ago at a Treasury auction and the Federal Reserve's September meeting minutes revealed a bias toward policy tightening.

* Most Federal Open Market Committee participants judged that another increase would likely be appropriate by year-end, minutes released Wednesday showed.

* Median one-year inflation expectations rose by 0.3 percentage points to 3.9% last month, the highest reading since May 2023, a survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York showed Wednesday.

* November West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell $0.42 to settle at $89.03 per barrel, while December Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen up $0.38 at $100.96.

* Micron Technology (MU) and Netlist have agreed to settle all pending legal proceedings between them, Netlist said Tuesday. Under the agreement, Micron will license Netlist's patent portfolio for $600 million over a five-year term. Micron shares rose nearly 4%, the top gainer on the Nasdaq.

* Skydance (SKYD) shares were down about 6.7%, the steepest decline on the S&P 500, after the company said late Tuesday it has effectively restructured the bulk of Warner Bros. Discovery's outstanding notes after completing its acquisition, retiring most legacy debt through a combination of tender offers and exchanges.