US stocks were little changed on Thursday as conflicting reports on the economy and a pullback in financial shares offset a rise in shares of energy companies, including Exxon Mobil Corp Disappointing retail profits also weighed on the market.
Exxon shares were among the top contributors to the S&P 500's and the Dow's advance with a gain of 1.2 percent as oil prices climbed after an explosion at a pipeline supplying Canadian crude to US Midwest refineries. But with Wall Street coming off its biggest two-day advance in five years, some investors opted to book profits, weighing on shares that had led the market's rebound since Tuesday, including banks.
The Dow Jones industrial average was down 5.12 points, or 0.04 percent, at 13,284.33. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 1.87 points, or 0.13 percent, at 1,467.15. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 2.97 points, or 0.11 percent, at 2,659.94.
Shares of ConocoPhillips rose 1.1 percent to $78.59. Shares of American Express were the Dow's top drag, down 1.7 percent at $56.42. Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc declined 3.7 percent to $62.43 on the NYSE after CIBC World Markets analyst Meredith Whitney cut her price target and profit estimates for the investment bank.