U.S. stock indexes closed mixed with some gains

U.S. stocks ended the day Thursday mixed, but mostly higher, after a day of small moves that continued its pattern of the past few weeks.

ON WALL STREET: At the close, the Dow Jones industrial average was down nearly 3 points, about 0.02 percent, at 18,352.1. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index was up less than a point at 2,164.3. The Nasdaq composite gained 6.5 points, about 0.1 percent, to 5,166.3.

OIL PRICES: As markets closed benchmark U.S. crude was up $1.03 at $41.86 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In London, Brent crude, which is used to price international oils, gained $1.09 to $44.19 a barrel.

STIMULUS IN THE UK: The Bank of England cut interest rates to new lows and unveiled a raft of stimulus measures that include resuming a bond-buying stimulus program to pump money into the economy and launching a program of cheap lending to banks. The measures seemed to exceed the expectations of investors.

The Bank of England is trying to counter the shock of Britain’s vote to leave the European Union in late June. It said the measures announced today could be expanded later if needed. Britain’s central bank hadn’t cut rates since the financial crisis. The pound fell to $1.3134 from $1.3317 on Wednesday.

U.S. JOBLESS CLAIMS: Applications for unemployment aid rose to 269,000, a level close to historical lows and a positive sign for the job market. While the pace of hiring and economic growth slowed in the first half of the year, consumers could spend more in the months to come.