U.S. Stocks Close Mostly Higher Though Early Gains Pared

U.S. stocks shed earlier-session gains Thursday, with the Dow industrials finishing lower for the day, as investors digested mixed economic data ahead of Friday's jobs report. The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished down 10.22 points at 17,540.47, after being up nearly 111 points earlier in the session. Shares of Walt Disney Co. logged their largest-ever one-day price decline, which weighed heavily on the price-weighted Dow. The S&P 500 Index rose 6.52 points, or 0.3%, to close at 2,099.84, having been up about 19 points early on. The Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 34.40 points, or 0.7%, to finish at 5,139.94, down from its nearly 70-point gain earlier in the day.