If there were any surprises in the market on Thursday, it was only at how mildly tepid the economic news was. Producer prices were up a bit, Philly manufacturing was somewhat better, jobless claims looked fair to middling, and the market yawned.
Stocks were mixed at market close, with the Dow Jones industrial average up 22.10 points, 0.21% higher, at 10,594.83. The S&P 500 was down 0.41 points, 0.04% lower, at 1,124.66. The Nasdaq index closed up 1.93 points, 0.08% higher, at 2,303.25.
The producer price index rose 0.4% in August after a 0.2% increase in July, the U.S. Labor Department reported. The increase, which was the PPI's first upward movement in three months, was due largely to a 2.2% rise in energy prices.
