Stock indexes drifted to a mixed finish on Wall Street Thursday, as some heavyweight technology and communications sector stocks offset gains elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 fell less than 0.1% after spending the day wavering between small gains and losses.

Stocks wavered in a quiet post-holiday session as mixed jobless claims data did little to alter bets on the Federal Reserve outlook.Most Read from BloombergHo Chi Minh City Opens First Metro Line After Years of DelayEquities struggled to gain traction after a rally that sent the S&P 500 to its best Christmas Eve performance since 1974,

Stocks shook off a choppy start to finish higher Monday, as Wall Street kicked off a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 ended 0.7% higher after having been down 0.5% in the early going. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also recovered from an early slide to eke out a 0.2% gain. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite rose 1%.

Asian shares were mostly higher on Friday, with Japan’s benchmark registering strong gains for a second straight day. Oil prices and U.S. futures declined. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index climbed 1.4% to 40,

Asian shares were mostly higher Thursday in thin post-Christmas holiday trading, while oil prices rose. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index surged 0.8% to 39,449.55, on strong gains in retailers and tourism-related stocks after Japan agreed to ease visa conditions for Chinese tourists.

Asian shares were mixed on Friday after China reported lower corporate profits in November, the fourth straight month of decline.

Stocks are broadly higher in trading on Wall Street, led by gains in Big Tech stocks. The S&P 500 was up 0.7% Tuesday.