U.S. stocks end mixed amid geopolitical concerns

U.S. stocks closed narrowly mixed after a fluctuating session Thursday amid renewed worries over geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 19.71 points, or 0.12 percent, to 17,049. The S&P 500 added 1.76 points, or 0.09 percent, to 1,997.45. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 5.28 points, or 0.12 percent, to 4,591.81.

President Barack Obama on Wednesday night pledged that he "will not hesitate to take action" against the Islamic State in Syria, as well as in Iraq, igniting market concerns over geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

Adding to negative sentiment on Wall Street, the number of Americans who initially applied for jobless benefits last week rose to the highest level since late June, said the Labor Department.

In the week ending Sept. 6, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims increased 11,000 to 315,000, higher than market expectations, according to the department. Meanwhile, the four-week moving average, a smoother gauge, stood at 304,000, an increase of 750 from the previous week's revised average, it added.

The stock market regained steam to some extent in the final hour of the trading session, with major indices closing in mixed territory.

U.S. stocks lost momentum in absence of major economic data this week, with investors' focus turning to the Federal Reserve's policy meeting next week, when Fed officials are expected to continue winding down bond purchases and shed more light on the timing of rate hike.

In corporate news, shares of Macy's reversed earlier losses to finish higher, up 0.37 percent to 59.82 U.S. dollars apiece, although the department store chain was downgraded from "buy" to " neutral" at Sterne Agee.

Twitter shares lost 0.51 percent to 52.64 dollars per share one day after the microblogging site announced its plans to raise 1.3- billion-dollar convertible senior notes due in 2019 and 2021, marking its first debt offering since the company went public in November.

The CBOE Volatility Index, often referred to as Wall Street's fear gauge, slipped 0.62 percent to end at 12.80.

In other markets, the dollar traded mixed against major currencies and kept rising versus the Japanese yen on speculations that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) may launch more monetary stimulus.

The greenback stayed around the highest level in six years versus the Japanese yen on signs that both the BOJ and the government are ready to take more actions to boost economy and inflation.

In late New York trading, the euro rose to 1.2925 dollars from 1.2905 dollars of the previous session. The U.S. dollar bought 107. 05 Japanese yen, higher than 106.82 yen of the previous session.

Crude prices advanced as fears of a disruption in crude supplies in Middle East and Ukraine increased.

Light, sweet crude for October delivery moved up 1.16 dollars to settle at 92.83 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while Brent crude for October delivery gained 4 cents to close at 98.08 dollars a barrel.

Gold futures on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange fell to the lowest level in seven and half months.

The most active gold contract for December delivery lost 6.3 dollars, or 0.51 percent, to settle at 1,239 dollars per ounce.