Wall Street closes mixed before job data release

NEW YORK (AA) – Wall Street closed mixed Thursday as the market struggled to find direction a day before a critical jobs report is released.

The Dow Jones lost three points to end the day flat at 18,376. The S&P 500 was also flat with a less than 1 point rise to 2,164, while the Nasdaq gained 6 points to 5,166.

The Bank of England decided to trim its interest rate to 0.25 percent, from 0.50 percent, Thursday -- a first since March 2009. As a result, European markets ended the day higher. Germany's DAX index was up 0.57 percent, while the U.K.'s FTSE posted a 1.59 percent increase, and France's CAC 40 saw a 0.57 percent rise.

Oil prices were also on the rise Thursday. At the final bell, American benchmark West Texas Intermediate traded at $41.78 a barrel with a 2.3 percent gain, and international benchmark Brent crude was up to $44.16 -- a 2.4 percent increase.

The total number of Americans filing initial jobless claims rose by 269,000 last week, according to the Labor Department. That was higher than the 265,000 expected new claims.

July jobs figures are scheduled to be released before markets open Friday.