MARKET SNAPSHOT: U.S. Stocks Torn In Tracking Currency Moves

By Kate Gibson

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks shifted between gains and losses Thursday after a slight strengthening in the dollar hit commodities and related stocks, denting enthusiasm that came as jobless claims fell.

"The equities market started off on a positive footing this morning, with modest gains, due to the fact that weekly jobless claims finally fell below the 450,000 level for the first time in several months," said Michael Sheldon, chief market strategist at RDM Financial Group.

"The dollar continued to move lower, helping commodity prices early on, however a very -- and you can emphasis the word very -- modest bounce in the dollar has taken some of the wind out of the sails of commodity-related stocks," Sheldon added.

After rising to within a few points of the psychological 11,000 level, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) was off 19.83 points, or 0.2%, at 10,948.12.

The S&P 500 (SPX) fell 2.16 points, or 0.2%, to 1,157.81.

The Nasdaq Composite (RIXF) rose 3.47 points, or 0.2%, to 2,384.13.

Decliners ran just ahead of advancers on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 301 million as of 11.15 a.m. Eastern.

The dollar recovered most of its losses on the day against the euro, which had pushed to a new eight-month high above $1.40 after European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet's remarks were deemed as not excessively bearish.

The dollar index (DXY), which contrasts the greenback against six currency rivals, stood at 77.285, off from the 77.397 level in late New York trade Wednesday.

The weekly jobless-claims data come one day ahead of the government's monthly employment report, with economists expecting the unemployment rate to climb to 9.7% in September from 9.6% in August.

Retailers including Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (ANF) and Limited Brands Inc. (LTD) reported better-than-anticipated monthly sales.

PepsiCo Inc. (PEP) reported a profit rise for the third quarter. While earnings met expectations, the beverage and snack-foods company steered its earnings forecast lower, sending shares 3.7% lower.

After the close, Alcoa Inc. (AA) releases third-quarter financial results, with the aluminum manufacturer the first of the Dow's 30 components to report earnings.