12:39 PM EDT, 06/20/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes traded mixed while most government bond yields rose after weekly jobless claims and housing starts for May declined.

The S&P 500 declined less than 0.1% to 5,482.3. The index posted a record close on Tuesday for the 31st time this year, a note from D.A. Davidson said. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.4% to 38,977.9. The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.5% to 17,781.9, erasing earlier gains.

Energy was the top gainer intraday, while technology led the decliners.

In economic news, US initial jobless claims declined to 238,000 in the week ended June 15 from an upwardly revised 243,000 in the previous week, compared with expectations for 235,000 in a survey of analysts compiled by Bloomberg.

May housing starts fell 5.5% from the previous month to a 1.277 million annual rate, compared with expectations compiled by Bloomberg for a 1.37 million rate after an increase to a 1.352 million pace in April. Building permits fell 3.8% to a 1.386 million rate in May, versus the 1.45 million rate expected and a decline to 1.44 million in April.

The US 10-year yield rose 5.2 basis points to 4.27%, and the two-year rate climbed 3.1 basis points to 4.74%.

In company news, Dell Technologies ( DELL ) and Super Micro Computer ( SMCI ) are providing servers to help xAI develop a supercomputer, Elon Musk said Wednesday on X. "Dell is assembling half of the racks that are going into the supercomputer that xAI is building," Musk said, adding in a later reply to another comment that Super Micro is assembling the other half. Shares of Dell were down 0.6% and Super Micro rose 2%, the top performer on the S&P 500.

Gilead Sciences ( GILD ) said topline results from an interim analysis of a phase 3 trial of lenacapavir for HIV prevention in cisgender women demonstrated 100% efficacy. Shares jumped 8.5% intraday, among the top gainers on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil advanced 0.3% to $81.85 a barrel.