04:28 PM EDT, 04/11/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes closed mostly higher Thursday as producer prices rose less than expected in March.

The Nasdaq Composite rose 1.7% to 16,442.2, while the S&P 500 advanced 0.7% to 5,199.06jia. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was little changed at 38,459.1. Technology led sector gainers, and financials paced the decliners.

In economic news, the US producer price index rose by 0.2% in March following a 0.6% increase in February and compared with the 0.3% gain expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. After excluding food and energy prices, the core PPI rose by 0.2% in March following a 0.3% gain in the previous month. The year-over-year rates for both measures accelerated from the previous month to 2.1% and 2.4%, respectively.

Initial jobless claims fell by 11,000 to 211,000 in the week ended April 6, the Department of Labor said. The consensus was for 215,000 in a survey of analysts compiled by Bloomberg. The four-week moving average for initial claims was 214,250, a 250 decrease from the prior week's average.

The US 10-year yield rose to 4.58% Thursday, while the two-year rate eased to 4.95%.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell 0.7% to $85.63 per barrel.

Natural gas stocks rose by 24 billion cubic feet to 2.283 trillion cubic feet in the week ended April 5, up 24% from a year earlier and more than 38% higher than the seasonal average for the current week over the previous five years. Natural gas futures tumbled 6.2%.

In company news, UnitedHealth Group ( UNH ) Chairman Stephen Hemsley and three senior executives sold a combined $101.5 million worth of stock in the four months before a federal antitrust investigation became public knowledge, Bloomberg reported.

Skydance will meet with Paramount (PARA) management about a potential deal and begin its due diligence next week, CNBC reported.

Gold rose 1.8% to $2,391.40 per troy ounce, while silver climbed 1.9% to $28.58 an ounce.