U.S. stock indexes drifted lower Thursday following a mixed set of earnings reports from Morgan Stanley, UnitedHealth Group and other big companies. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2% after flipping between small gains and losses through the day.

Asian Shares Advance After Inflation Data Drives a Rally on Wall Street TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly rose Thursday, following a rally on Wall Street driven by encouraging update on U.S. inflation.

U.S. stock indexes closed their best week in two months with a flourish on Friday. The S&P 500 climbed 1% to clinch its first winning week in the last three. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 334 points,

U.S. stock indexes held firmer and finished mixed a day after strong reports on the economy stirred up worries that inflation and interest rates may remain higher than expected.

U.S. stocks dipped on Thursday as a jump in the prior session cooled, while investors eyed the most recent corporate earnings and gauged economic data to determine the path of Federal Reserve rate cuts.

Markets are mixed before the opening bell on a busy Thursday that will bring the latest government report on retail sales, weekly applications for unemployment benefits, and a slew of corporate earnings reports.