The Dow Jones industrial average traded in a narrow range all day, and closed down 11.05 points at 12,705.41. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 1.45, or 0.11 percent, to 1,325.54. The Nasdaq composite rose 11.41 points, or 0.40 percent, to 2,859.68.
Bond traders stayed on the sidelines, too. The price of the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose 6.2 cents for every $100 invested, and the yield inched down to 1.82 percent from 1.83 percent Wednesday.
U.S. mining stocks rose after British mining company Xstrata P.L.C. confirmed it is in merger discussions with commodities trader Glencore International P.L.C. In the U.S., shares of Newmont Mining Corp. rose 1.91 percent, Alcoa Inc. was up 2.16 percent, and Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. rose 0.26 percent.
Shares of health insurer Cigna Corp., which has large operations in Philadelphia, dropped 3.39 percent after its earnings fell short of expectations as it absorbed higher corporate and medical costs. Pfizer Inc. shares fell 0.94 percent after recalling birth-control pills.
Retailers were a patchwork of rising and falling stocks, reflecting their mix of January sales results. Costco Wholesale Corp. and Target Corp. came in better than expected. Macy's Inc. and Dillard's Inc. fell short. Gap Inc. shares rose 10.64 percent after revenue at its high-end Banana Republic stores rose 6 percent.
Shares of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. fell 13.73 percent to a one-year low after it said its adjusted fourth-quarter profit and revenue will be less than analysts had expected.
Natural gas prices climbed more than 7 percent after the government said the nation's supplies shrank last week.
Benchmark crude oil fell $1.25 to end at $96.36 per barrel in New York because of weak demand.
