U.S. stocks were mixed on Thursday, after the major averages posted a third straight day of gains and traders took a pause as they awaited economic data on Friday. 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 29 points, or 0.08%, while the S&P 500 fell 0.5% and the Nasdaq Composite lost 1.3%. All the major averages were still on track for a winning week, however. 

CVS gained 2% after it issued upbeat guidance ahead of its Investor Day. Home retailer RH rose about 6% after it reported blowout earnings and lifted the low end of its revenue outlook. 

On Thursday the Labor Department reported initial claims for unemployment insurance totaled 184,000, compared to the 211,000 estimated by economists surveyed by Dow Jones. 

Ed Moya, senior market analyst with Oanda, said that the market is in a wait-and-see mode ahead of Friday’s inflation report. 

The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed down by 0.1% provisionally, having started the day on a positive note. Oil and gas stocks fell 1.1% to lead the losses as most sectors and major bourses fell into the red. 

In terms of individual share price movement, UniCredit jumped nearly 11% after the Italian lender announced that it plans to pay out at least 16 billion euros ($18.11 billion) in share buybacks and dividends to shareholders by 2024. 

Source: CNBC, Investing.com