Close: Stocks slightly callback from a two-year high

U.S. stocks edged down Thursday. While U.S. economic data released today foes strong, but investors in the stock market record high of more than two years after profit-taking, leading the broader market was slightly callback.

At 16:00 on December 30 EST, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 15.67 points to close at 11,569.71 points, down 0.14%; the Nasdaq composite index fell 3.95 points to close at 2,662.98 points, down 0.15%; the S & P 500 index fell 1.87 points to close at 1,257.91 points, down 0.15%.

U.S. economic data released Thursday showed the number of initial claims for unemployment benefits fell for the first time in two years 40 million people below the better than market expectations; housing and manufacturing data were better than expected.

As the stock market today is still very light volume, so some investors are warned not to read too much into market on Thursday.

Overseas news of the data showed that manufacturing activity in China in December appeared slow the first time since July, disappointed investors. But China's manufacturing index is still relatively strong. Some analysts expect the Chinese government will likely continue to increase as interest rates and the value of the yuan and other methods to further curb inflationary pressures.