A Red Finish

Brands took a breather on Thursday. Hewlett-Packard, Caterpillar, Pfizer and Exxon Mobil led the Dow’s descent. Euro-zone concerns and less-than-stellar earnings reports may have pressured trading action. Meanwhile, the Labor Department said initial jobless claims declined by 5,000 to 366,000 last week. Claims from two weeks ago were revised higher by 3,000 to 371,000. In other news, Advance Auto Parts reported quarterly details. Fourth-quarter net income fell 2% to $65.1 million, or 88 cents per share, from $66.4 million, or 90 cents, a year ago. Elsewhere, crude oil futures dipped 79 cents to settle at $95.83 a barrel.

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