Stocks Close Mixed; Apple Puts Dent in Nasdaq

However, for growth to gain more traction, the economists said they need to see better performance on new orders and an acceleration in capital spending.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng finished down by 0.15% even after better-than-expected China manufacturing data as China shares sold off on profit-taking and Apple suppliers took a hit after the tech giant's downbeat report.

The Nikkei in Japan rose 1.28% as exporters advanced thanks to a weaker yen.

The FTSE in London settled ahead by 1.09% as mining stocks gained after the China data. The DAX in Frankfurt closed up 0.53% after Markit Economics' flash Germany PMI report showed that the leading European economy began the year with a resurgence in private sector output.

Gold for February delivery fell $16.80 to finish at $1,669.90 an ounce at the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, while March crude oil futures were up 72 cents to close at $95.95 a barrel.

The benchmark 10-year Treasury fell 7/32, to raise the yield to 1.853%. The dollar was up 0.03%, according to the U.S. dollar index.

In corporate news, Netflix(NFLX) gained 2 million video-streaming subscribers in the U.S. during the fourth quarter, and posted a profit of $8 million during a period when analysts were expecting a loss. Shares soared 42.2%.

Under Armour (UA) shares tumbled 3.8% as the apparel, footwear, and accessories company announced the resignation of Gene McCarthy, senior vice president of the company's footwear division, effective Feb. 22. Kip Fulks, the company's chief operating officer, will assume responsibility of the footwear division and continue to oversee the company's operations division.

Travelzoo (TZOO) shares surged 24.3% after the publisher of travel deal newsletters and web-sites beat on both the top and bottom lines for the fourth quarter.

Symantec's(SYMC) CEO Steve Bennett plans to cut at least 1,000 jobs as he aims to overhaul the antivirus software maker, according to Bloomberg. Shares rose 1.2%.

ITT Educational Services(ESI) shares rebounded 17.7%. Earlier, the company plunged more than 17.5% after reporting disappointing quarterly results and gave full-year guidance that was below estimates.