U.S. stocks traded lower Thursday and Treasury yields stabilized as investors awaited Friday's nonfarm payrolls report.
The S&P 500 was down 0.1%, while the Dow was down about 10 points, or less than 0.1%. The Nasdaq composite index fell 0.1%.
One reason for the easing of pressure on stocks was the second day in a row that the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell. The 10-year yield closed at 4.715% Thursday, down from 4.735% Wednesday. On Tuesday, the yield rose to 4.801%, the highest since August 2007 at 3 p.m. Et.
The S&P 500's performance on Thursday was a standout. Technology, health care and financials closed higher, while consumer staples, industrials and energy stocks fell.
The pullback in energy stocks came as oil prices fell for a second day, with Brent crude, the global benchmark, down 2 per cent to $84.07 a barrel. Brent crude rose 9.7 percent in September, but after Wednesday's sharp decline, it is now trading at the same level as its last settlement in August.
Among individual stocks, Lamb Weston (LW) jumped 8 percent, making it the best performer in the S&P 500, after the potato products company reported that higher prices helped its results. Shares of electric car maker Rivian Automotive (RIVN) plunged 23% after it announced a $1.5 billion debt offering.
Clorox (CLX) fell 5.2%. The cleaning products company warned late Wednesday that it would post an unexpected loss in the quarter ending Sept. 30 after a cyberattack in August brought business to a near standstill.
General Motors shares fell 2.4 percent after news that at least 20 million vehicles made by the automaker have potentially dangerous airbag parts that the government said should be recalled.
The StoXX Europe 600 index rose 0.3 percent.