The S&P 500 was steady on Thursday as investors gauged the arrival of the latest Covid variant on U.S. shores and as the White House tightened travel restrictions.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained about 150 points, helped by a 3% uptick in Boeing's stock. The S&P 500 rose less than 0.1%. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite dipped 0.2%.
Airline, casino and energy stocks led the gainers on Thursday, rebounding from Wednesday's sell-off. Delta Airlines rose 1%, MGM Resorts added 1.2% and Hilton Worldwide gained nearly 2%.
Dow component Boeing's shares jumped 3.6% after China cleared the 737 Max to return to fly.