Stocks ended mostly lower on Wall Street after a day of wavering, ending a four-day winning streak for the S&P 500, its longest in nearly four months.

The benchmark index slipped 0.3% Thursday. It's still about 8% below its record set in February after being down nearly 34% in late March.

Grim economic news continued to roll in. A report showed that the number of U.S. workers filing for unemployment benefits eased for a ninth straight week, roughly in line with the market's expectations.

But economists saw pockets of disappointment after the total number of people getting benefits rose slightly. Bond yields rose.