After failing to sustain an early upward move, stocks have shown a lack of direction over the course of morning trading on Thursday. The major averages have bounced back and forth across the unchanged line, as was also the case in the previous session.
The choppy trading comes as traders digest some mixed economic data while looking ahead to the release of the Labor Department's closely watched monthly employment report due to be released before the start of trading on Friday.
Nonetheless, healthcare provider stocks are seeing significant strength, resulting in a 1.8 percent gain by the Morgan Stanley Healthcare Provider Index. Tenet Healthcare (THC) is helping to lead the way higher after Soleil upgraded the hospital operator to Buy from Hold.
While notable strength is also visible among commercial real estate, semiconductor, and biotechnology stocks, gold and oil service stocks have come under pressure.
The major averages are currently posting modest gains, well off the highs for the session set in early trading. The Dow is currently up 5.37 at 10,458.05, the Nasdaq is up 9.60 at 2,194.63 and the S&P 500 is up 1.35 at 1,110.59.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.