U.S. stocks are drifting Thursday, as crude oil prices continue to climb and more signals arrive suggesting the economy remains solid. The S&P 500 was 0.4% lower in m

Wall Street is drifting following the latest data showing a solid U.S. economy, while crude oil prices continue to climb

That could be an encouraging signal for the more comprehensive report on the U.S. job market due to arrive Friday from the U.S. government. The dominant question hanging over Wall Street has been whether the job market can keep holding up after the Federal Reserve earlier kept interest rates at a two-decade high.

U.S. stocks hold steady near records as Asian markets experience wild swings, with Japan tumbling and China soaring.

Oil prices rose again as the world continues to wait to see how Israel will respond to Iran’s missile attack from Tuesday. A barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, climbed 2.4% to top $75 after starting the week below $72.