(CNBC) U.S. equities were mixed in choppy trade Thursday as investors got ready for key employment data.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 15 points, with IBM contributing the most losses. The S&P 500 traded just below breakeven, with real estate falling 1 percent to lead decliners. The Nasdaq composite declined 0.1 percent.
"This is a market that has encountered some buying exhaustion," said Mark Luschini, chief investment strategist at Janney Montgomery Scott. "I think it's gotten to the point where, to keep going up, you need to keep getting surprised or put a down payment on what the future holds."