U.S. stocks close mixed after House passes health care reform

U.S. stocks closed mixed on Thursday as Wall Street digested corporate earnings and jobs data, as well as the House of Representatives' vote to pass a bill aimed at repealing and replacing Obamacare.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average inched down 6.43 points, or 0.03 percent, to 20,951.47. The S&P 500 ticked up 1.39 points, or 0.06 percent, to 2,389.52. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 2.79 points, or 0.05 percent, to 6,075.34.

The House passed the bill by a vote of 217 to 213 after months of struggling. Formally known as the American Health Care Act, the bill is now sent to the Senate where it is expected to face significant hurdles.

On the economic front, in the week ending April 29, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 238,000, a decrease of 19,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 257,000, the U.S. Labor Department reported Thursday.

The 4-week moving average was 243,000, an increase of 750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 242,250.

Meanwhile, traders will also keep close eye on the April nonfarm payroll report, which is scheduled to be released on Friday.

In corporate news, shares of Facebook Inc. fell nearly one percent on Thursday, even though the social media networking website delivered better-than-expected first-quarter results.

"We had a good start to 2017," said Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO. "We're continuing to build tools to support a strong global community." Endit