U.S. stocks narrowly mixed midday amid geopolitical tensions

U.S. stocks traded mixed around midday on Thursday, as investors weighed the geopolitical tensions in the Middle East against an upbeat job report.

At noon, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 9.07 points, or 0.05 percent, to 17,727.61. The S&P 500 edged up 0.79 point, or 0. 04 percent, to 2,061.84. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 7.34 points, or 0.15 percent, to 4,869.18.

Tensions intensified in the Middle East after Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies began a military operation in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar said on Thursday they had decided to act to protect Yemen against "aggression" by the Houhti militia, according to a joint statement.

Economic data came out positive. U.S. jobless claims fell to a five-week low, and investors believe such data pointed to a healthy and expanding labor market.

In the week ending March 21, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims decreased 9,000 from the previous week's unrevised level to 282,000, well below market consensus of 293,000, said the U.S. Labor Department Thursday.

However, Federal Reserve policymaker James Bullard said on Thursday that now maybe a good time to start normalizing U.S. monetary policy so that it is set appropriately for an improving economy over the next two years.

U.S. stocks fell sharply Wednesday, with all the three major indices extending their losses into a third straight session. Endite