Stocks were choppy Thursday as investors took in an onslaught of corporate earnings reports. Caution could also be setting in ahead of next week's key inflation update, especially as expectations for a March or May rate cut have dropped dramatically in recent days.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1% to 38,726, while the while the Nasdaq Composite added 0.2% to 15,793. The S&P 500 struggled against the psychologically significant 5,000 level, briefly toppling it in intraday action before closing just below here at 4,997.
