Stocks closed lower Thursday, pulling major indexes a bit further below the record highs they marked at the start of the week.

Investors continue to be focused on where the economy is headed as the pandemic wanes, and also on the latest company earnings reports.

The S&P 500 index fell 0.3%. Technology and communications stocks were the biggest weights on the market.

Banks, which have been reporting mostly solid financial results, also fell as bond yields headed lower.

Investors also got a report from the Labor Department showing that jobless claims fell to another pandemic low.