US stocks close Thursday mixed before key jobs figures

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - US stocks closed mixed on Thursday as investors await the key jobs figures that will be released before market opening on Friday.

The Nasdaq was down almost 15 points, or 0.09%, to finish the session at 17,173 after the tech-heavy index jumped 1.96% to finish the previous day at a record-high of 17,187.90.

The S&P 500 fell just 1.07 points, or 0.02%, to end the day flat at 5,352 after closing Wednesday at an all-time high of 5,354.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, on the other hand, was up nearly 79 points, or 0.2%, to close at 38,886.

Although Nvidia saw its market cap passing the $3 trillion mark and overtaking Apple as the second-most-valuable company in the US by Wednesday's final bell, the chipmaker's shares were down 1.14% by Thursday's closing, with a market value of $1.98 trillion -- approximately same with Apple, which saw a daily loss of 0.7%.

The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, fell 0.48% to 12.57. The 10-year US Treasury yield lost 0.07% to 4.282%.

The dollar index lost 0.16% to 104.10, while the euro added 0.23% to $1.0893 against the greenback.

Precious metals were in positive territory, with gold adding 0.8% to $2,373 and silver gaining 4.3% to $31.29.

Oil prices were up around 2%, with global benchmark Brent crude at $79.89 and US benchmark West Texas Intermediate at $75.56 per barrel.

American economy is expected to add 186,000 jobs in May, following a gain of 175,000 in April, while the unemployment rate is forecast to remain steady at 3.9%, according to market estimates.

The figures, which will be announced at 8.30 a.m. EDT on Friday, will provide clues both for investors and the Federal Reserve about the situation in the US labor market.