US indexes wobbled on Thursday as healthcare stocks snapped a three-day rally after UnitedHealth cut its profit forecast, offsetting gains in technology and consumer stocks. Dow component UnitedHealth fell 4 percent to $112.49. The health insurer was the biggest drag on the Dow. The profit warning sent shares of peers Anthem down more than 6 percent and Aetna nearly 4 percent.
The S&P healthcare sector was easily the worst performer among the 10 major S&P sectors, with a 1.52 percent decline. UnitedHealth and Pfizer weighed the most. Pfizer was down 3.5 percent, making it the biggest drag on the S&P, after reports that the company's talks to buy Allergan and redomicile in Ireland were in final stages. Allergan was down 2.5 percent.
Investors also digested minutes from the Federal Reserve's October meeting released on Wednesday, which hardened expectations of a December interest rate hike and hinted at a cautious approach after that. Data on Thursday appeared to support the Fed's view of a strengthening labour market as the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell last week.
US interest rates futures implied a 72 percent chance of a lift-off next month, up from 64 percent on Tuesday. At 11:07 am ET (1608 GMT), the Dow Jones industrial average was up 3.71 points, or 0.02 percent, at 17,740.87, the S&P 500 was down 0.61 points, or 0.03 percent, at 2,082.97 and the Nasdaq Composite index was up 5.42 points, or 0.11 percent, at 5,080.62.
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