US close: Stocks mostly lower ahead of non-farm payrolls report

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.05% but the S&P 500 and Nasdaq shed 0.02% and 0.18%, respectively.

The weekly jobless claims report from the Labor Department on Thursday revealed a bigger-than-expected increase. Initial jobless claims climbed to 274,000 in the week to 30 April from 257,000 the previous week, worse than forecasts of 260,000.

The report comes ahead of the all-important non-farm payrolls figures on Friday, which are expected to show US employers added 200,000 jobs in April compared to 215,000 in March.

The data will be closely scrutinised by Federal Reserve policymakers as they take into consideration the health of the jobs market in determining the timing of the next interest rate hike.

Last month the Fed voted to keep interest rates unchanged but left the door open to a rate hike in June, saying: “Labour market conditions have improved further even as growth in economic activity appears to have slowed”.

St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard on Thursday said that global headwinds that have prevented the central bank from raising rates again appear to be waning in the first half of 2016.

Speaking at an event in Santa Barbara, California, Bullard said he was undecided on the plan for interest rates.

Elsewhere, the Caixin China services purchasing managers' index printed at 51.8 in April, down from March’s 52.2 but still above the 50 mark that separates contraction from expansion.

Meanwhile, oil prices advanced as a wildfire near Canada’s oil-sands district threatened production. Fighting in Libya also helped to lift prices.

West Texas Intermediate crude was up 1.3% to $44.38 a barrel and Brent crude was 1.1% firmer at $45.12.

In corporate news, Whole Foods edged higher after its first-quarter profit released after the close on Wednesday beat expectations.

Alibaba jumped as it reported a 86% surge in fiscal fourth quarter net profit, supported by disposal gains on investments and businesses.

Merck was on the back foot as it posted quarterly revenue that missed forecasts, reflecting disappointing sales of its Januvia diabetes treatment and Remicade arthritis drug.

Kellogg Co. slid after the food company said posted quarterly sales that trailed estimates.

News Corp. after the closing bell reported its fifth drop in quarterly revenue in a row as print ad sales fell.

S&P 500 - Risers

Apache Corp. (APA) $54.82 +8.06%

Teradata Corp. (TDC) $26.27 +7.66%

Cimarex Energy Co (XEC) $113.68 +7.09%

Williams Companies Inc. (WMB) $20.57 +6.91%

Whole Foods Market Inc. (WFM) $30.21 +5.96%

Newfield Exploration Co (NFX) $36.53 +5.43%

Qorvo, Inc. (QRVO) $46.66 +4.83%

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (JEC) $46.59 +4.81%

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (REGN) $377.73 +4.74%

McKesson Corp. (MCK) $172.70 +4.66%

S&P 500 - Fallers

L Brands Inc (LB) $70.53 -12.04%

CenturyLink Inc. (CTL) $28.20 -8.91%

Murphy Oil Corp. (MUR) $30.26 -7.77%

Amerisource Bergen Corp. (ABC) $78.00 -7.46%

Advance Auto Parts (AAP) $148.74 -4.56%

Freeport-McMoRan Inc (FCX) $11.29 -4.32%

PVH Corp. (PVH) $91.50 -4.23%

Lincoln National Corp. (LNC) $40.87 -4.15%

CF Industries Holdings Inc. (CF) $30.79 -4.11%

Urban Outfitters Inc. (URBN) $27.98 -3.91%

Dow Jones I.A - Risers

International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) $146.47 +1.54%

Walt Disney Co. (DIS) $104.93 +1.22%

Travelers Company Inc. (TRV) $110.75 +0.93%

Boeing Co. (BA) $132.08 +0.91%

Chevron Corp. (CVX) $101.42 +0.83%

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) $112.88 +0.59%

Pfizer Inc. (PFE) $33.57 +0.51%

Visa Inc. (V) $77.36 +0.38%

3M Co. (MMM) $167.77 +0.36%

Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $132.31 +0.21%

Dow Jones I.A - Fallers

Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) $72.79 -1.95%

Nike Inc. (NKE) $58.19 -1.56%

Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) $54.09 -1.31%

Apple Inc. (AAPL) $93.24 -1.01%

E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. (DD) $63.67 -0.92%

Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) $26.21 -0.87%

General Electric Co. (GE) $29.89 -0.60%

JP Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM) $61.24 -0.54%

American Express Co. (AXP) $63.92 -0.53%

United Technologies Corp. (UTX) $100.29 -0.38%

Nasdaq 100 - Risers

Whole Foods Market Inc. (WFM) $30.21 +5.96%

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (REGN) $377.73 +4.74%

Discovery Communications Inc. Class A (DISCA) $27.74 +4.32%

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX) $84.00 +4.18%

Kraft Heinz Co. (KHC) $82.97 +3.74%

Discovery Communications Inc. Class C (DISCK) $27.22 +3.73%

Illumina Inc. (ILMN) $138.90 +2.91%

Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO) $36.94 +2.61%

JD.com, Inc. (JD) $24.85 +2.60%

Incyte Corp. (INCY) $70.41 +2.50%

Nasdaq 100 - Fallers

Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA) $211.53 -4.96%

Dish Network Corp. (DISH) $44.09 -4.24%

Western Digital Corp. (WDC) $38.13 -3.71%

Endo International Plc (ENDP) $26.59 -2.85%

Stericycle Inc. (SRCL) $95.10 -2.55%

Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) $147.84 -2.42%

Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP) $86.45 -2.19%

Paychex Inc. (PAYX) $51.19 -2.10%

Ross Stores Inc. (ROST) $56.47 -2.03%

O'Reilly Automotive Inc. (ORLY) $263.45 -1.9