Thursday

Investors stepped back from big positions in stocks ahead of a closely watched jobs report Friday, with major indexes bobbing between gains and losses during afternoon trading. Wal-Mart Stores led blue chips lower as it shed 1.6%. The S&P 500 shed almost two points with consumer staples leading decliners. The tech-oriented Nasdaq Composite gained fractionally. A confluence of weak readings on the U.S. economy and lingering worries over the financial health of some European governments have weighed on sentiment this week. Discouraging signs on unemployment, softness in manufacturing and a continued slump in housing have predominated. DJIA -41.59 Nasdaq +4.12 S&P 500 -1.61.