U.S. stock indexes drifted lower Thursday following a mixed set of earnings reports from Morgan Stanley, UnitedHealth Group and other big companies.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.2% after flipping between small gains and losses through the day. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 68 points, or 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.9%.

Treasury yields were also more placid in the bond market following mixed economic reports on Thursday.

One report showed growth for sales at U.S. retailers wasn’t as strong last month as economists expected. Another said more U.S. workers filed for unemployment benefits last week, and a third said manufacturing in the mid-Atlantic area unexpectedly roared back to growth.

On Thursday, yields eased modestly. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.61% from 4.66% late Wednesday and from 4.79% on Tuesday.

The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely follows expectations for the Fed’s upcoming moves, slipped to 4.23% from 4.27% late Wednesday and from 4.37% two days ago.

On Wall Street, Morgan Stanley climbed 4% after reporting stronger earnings for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

Bank of America also delivered a profit report on Thursday that beat expectations, but its stock was more subdued. It fell 1%.

Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp, meanwhile, fell to one of the worst losses in the S&P 500 after reporting results for the latest quarter that fell short of analysts’ expectations. It dropped 5.6%.

The only stock to lose more in the index was Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth Group, which tumbled 6%. The insurer reported a stronger profit than expected, but its revenue for the latest quarter came up shy of forecasts. A rise in medical costs surprised analysts.

Another weight on the market was Tesla, which fell 3.4% on news it is offering discounts on its Cybertruck.

All told, the S&P 500 slipped 12.57 points to 5,937.34. The Dow dipped 68.42 to 43,153.13, and the Nasdaq composite sank 172.94 to 19,338.29.

— Associated Press