US stocks were mixed on Thursday as investors parsed through mixed labor market data.
At the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 81.4 points, or 0.20%, to 41056.33. The S&P 500 was flat at 5520.08, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 21.1 points, or 0.12%, to 17063.237.
Gold prices rose on Thursday, fuelled by wide expectations of a deeper US Federal Reserve rate-cutting cycle starting this month.
Spot gold was up 1.0% at $2,518.92 per ounce by 1221 GMT.
Spot silver gained 1.6% to $28.74.
Oil prices inched higher on Thursday, with OPEC close to agreement on postponing a planned production increase.
Brent traded above $73 a barrel.