Stocks closed mixed on Wall Street Thursday as investors reviewed the latest earnings reports from retailers and an update on the employment market.
The S&P 500 rose 0.3%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.2% and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.5%.
Financial companies had some of the broadest losses. Bond yields edged lower.
Solid earnings reports helped lift chipmaker Nvidia and several retailers, including Macy's and Kohl's.
The Labor Department reported that the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell for the seventh straight week to a pandemic low of 268,000.