Dow ends in the red; S&P 500 ekes out first gain in five days

NEW YORK (MarketWatch)
U.S. stock indexes closed largely unchanged on Thursday as cheer about a decline in jobless claims dissipated
"I don't get too worked up over the weekly data, the trend is much more important, and I think we are seeing incremental improvement," said Tim Leach, chief investment officer at U.S. Bank Wealth Management
Uncertainty ahead of the U.S. presidential election less than a month away is a likely contributor to Wall Street's stall
Once "the results are in, then everybody can make plans accordingly
hat clarity of at least that portion of the road ahead will be reacted to positively," regardless who wins, Leach said
Down for a fourth day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 18.51 points, or 0.1%, to 13,326.46
The S&P 500 index gained a fraction to end at 1,432.86
The Nasdaq Composite fell 2.40 points, or 0.1%, to 3,049.38