US stocks close mostly lower, but tech sector lifts Nasdaq

Most of the US stock indices closed lower on Thursday, to pare some of the earlier gains, but Nasdaq managed to keep its thanks to the tech sector's rally.

US Congress leaders from the Democratic and Republican parties are continuing their negotiations on the relief package aimed at supporting the coronavirus-ravaged economy, but have not agreed yet.

The US Department of Labor revealed today that the unemployment claims fell to 963,000 during the past week, beating forecasts of 1.120 million.

To the oil market, WTI crude September futures (NYMEX) fell 1% or 43 cents, to close $42.24 a barrel, after it hit a day high of $42.8 and a low of $42.1.

Brent October futures fell 1% or 47 cents, to $44.96 a barrel, with a high of $45.5 and a low of $44.9.

As for stocks, Dow Jones fell 0.3% or 80 points to settle at 27,896, with a day high of 27,986 and a low of 27,789.

S&P 500 fell 0.2% or 7 points to close at 3,373, with a high of 3,387 and a low of 3,363.

Nasdaq rose 0.3% or 30 points to 11,042, after it hit a high of 11,124 and a low of 11,007.