Investors welcomed news that the U.S. economy added 157,000 jobs last month, sending the Dow above 14,000 for the first time since 2007.
Stocks fell, as a batch of disappointing corporate earnings and a rise in first time jobless claims eventually overtook investors' impulse to buy.
Stocks were muted on Wednesday, with investors jolted by news that the U.S. economy shrank in the fourth quarter.