Stocks end with mixed results amid earnings

Stocks gave back some of their recent gains Thursday as a choppy day of trading on Wall Street ended with a mixed finish for the major indexes.

The price of U.S. crude oil fell to less than $90 per barrel for the first time since early February, before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Gains in technology stocks, retailers and elsewhere helped keep the losses in energy, health care and other sectors in check.

The muted trading came as investors continued to review the latest updates on the economy and corporate earnings ahead of the government’s monthly snapshot of the nation’s job market today.

The S&P 500 slipped 3.23 points to 4,151.94, and the Dow Jones dropped 85.68 points to 32,726.82. Nasdaq rose 52.42 points to 12,720.58. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks gave up 2.47 points, or 0.1%, to close at 1,906.46.

All of the major indexes except for the Dow are on pace for weekly gains after rallying Wednesday.

The price of U.S crude oil fell 2.3% to settle at $88.54 per barrel Thursday, weighing on energy company stocks. Exxon Mobil slid 4.2% and Occidental Petroleum fell 5.8%.

Health care stocks also lost ground. Eli Lilly dropped 2.6%.

Advanced Micro Devices climbed 5.9%, Amazon gained 2.2%, Lennar rose 3.4% and Deere gained 1.7%.

Companies have been raising prices on everything from food to clothing to help offset the impact of inflation on supply chains, but the pressure has become too much for many consumers. A surge in gasoline prices throughout the year worsened inflation and prompted spending cutbacks.