US stocks ended mixed on Friday as investors focused on key inflation data that could influence the direction of the Federal Reserve's (Fed) monetary policy.
The Commerce Department is expected to release delayed data for September on the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Index, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge.
The S&P 500 rose 0.11% to 7.40, the tech-focused Nasdaq rose 0.22% to 51.04, while the Dow Jones fell 0.07% to 31.96.
In other news, the ADP jobs report showed an unexpected drop of about 32,000 in private payrolls, while the Challenger report showed 71,321 layoffs in November.
The data reinforced signs of a cooling labor market, even though weekly initial claims fell to 191,000.
Meanwhile, the Labor Department reported that initial jobless claims fell to their lowest level in more than three years, although analysts said the decline may have been partly influenced by the Thanksgiving holiday.
A separate report from the Chicago Fed estimated that the unemployment rate remained near 4.4% in November.
Meanwhile, Ulta Beauty shares rose 6% after reporting strong earnings results.
In contrast, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and SoFi Technologies shares fell 9% and 6%, respectively, after issuing disappointing updates.
