04:53 PM EDT, 06/06/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes closed mixed Thursday as markets awaited the official jobs report for May, scheduled to be released Friday.

The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.1% to 17,173.1, while the S&P 500 was flat at 5,353. Both indexes closed at record-high levels in the previous session. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2% to 38,886.2. Utilities posted the biggest drop among sectors, while consumer discretionary led the gainers.

Government data are likely to show Friday the US economy added 185,000 jobs last month, which would mark an acceleration from April's 175,000 gain, according to a Bloomberg-compiled consensus.

A 185,000 print would potentially mark a two-month high, Stifel said in a Thursday note.

"The minimal rise in the level of layoffs coupled with still-solid demand for new hires limits any certainty of improvement in price pressures or for more dampened conditions for headline growth," the brokerage wrote. "This is undermining expectations for a near-term reduction in rates, let alone a necessity for less restrictive policy."

Applications for unemployment insurance in the US rose in the week ended June 1, government data showed Thursday.

Despite a week-over-week increase in headline continuing claims, "the level remains in a range that suggests the labor market remains tight," Jefferies said in a note.

Separately, Challenger, Gray & Christmas said US-based employers cut 63,816 jobs last month, down from 64,789 in April and a 20% decrease from a year earlier.

The US trade deficit widened in April as imports outpaced exports, according to government data. The deficit rose to its widest level in almost two years amid a surge in imports, Oxford Economics said in a note.

The US 10- and two-year yields were little changed at 4.29% and 4.73%, respectively.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 2% to $75.52 per barrel.

In company news, Nio's (NIO) first-quarter revenue declined from a year earlier as the Chinese automaker delivered fewer vehicles on a sequential and annual basis. The company's US-listed shares tumbled 6.8%.

Lululemon Athletica ( LULU ) shares jumped 4.8%, among the top gainers on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq. The athletic apparel and footwear company late Wednesday posted stronger-than-expected fiscal first-quarter results and raised its full-year earnings outlook.

J.M. Smucker (SJM) on Thursday logged better-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter earnings, while the consumer packaged goods and pet food company projected sales to grow annually in its ongoing full year. The company's shares rose 4.6%, among the best performers on the S&P 500.

Gold increased 0.7% to $2,391.60 per troy ounce, while silver surged 4.4% to $31.39 per ounce.