NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks finished mixed Thursday, as investors reacted to a batch of lackluster U.S. economic data and ongoing concerns about Europe's debt crisis and the risk of Greece exiting the eurozone.
The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) rose 34 points, or 0.3%, the S&P 500 (SPX) added 2 points, or 0.1%, and the Nasdaq (COMP) declined 11 points, or 0.4%.
Investors were less than impressed to see that the number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits held near the 370,000 mark for a fourth week, signaling companies probably increased hiring only slightly in May.
Durable good orders only rose 0.2%, less than economists were expecting. Excluding transportation goods, orders unexpectedly dropped 0.6%, compared to forecasts for a modest gain.
Meanwhile, worries about Europe's debt crisis and the threat of Greece leaving the eurozone have unnerved investors on both sides of the Atlantic. According to CNNMoney's Fear & Greed Index, investor sentiment has been at an "extreme fear" level for the past two weeks.
European leaders met Wednesday in an ad hoc summit to address the latest problems with sovereign debt amid growing worries that Greece is moving closer to dropping the euro, and the contagion effects an exit might have on other economies.
The meeting failed to establish any concrete solutions for resolving thesovereign debt crisis or moving forward with Greece.
As investors continue to watch for developments out of Europe, markets will likely continue to "move along a bumpy road" said Tyler Vernon, chief investment officer at Biltmore Capital.
Given the recent slide in stocks, investors are looking for good buying opportunities but are afraid to be getting in amid uncertainty in Europe, he said.
"Emotions have taken hold of the markets in recent weeks, but at some point, the value guys will start coming in," Vernon said, noting that the S&P 500 is trading at an attractive valuation, below 13 times earnings estimates.
Worries about weakness in the technology sector were one of the major drags on U.S. markets for much of the trading day Wednesday, althoughstocks erased hefty losses by the end of the day.
The dollar dropped against against the euro and the British pound, but was higher versus the Japanese yen.
Oil for July delivery rose 70 cents to settle at $90.66 a barrel, moving back above the benchmark after falling below $90 for the first time since November during trading Wednesday.
Gold futures for June delivery rose $9.10 to settle at $1,557.50 an ounce.
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