U.S. stocks ended mixed on Thursday, as retailers reported weak store sales in November, a disappointment that was largely offset by crude oil prices’ retreat below $44 a barrel.

The U.S. dollar fell to a new all-time low against the euro, trading at $1.3382 against the European currency, a worst level than the prior low of $1.3335 set on Nov. 30.

Although the U.S. dollar regained some footing late in the session, its weakness is a lasting concern: it could push up the price of imported goods and fuel U.S. inflation, a worry that sent Treasury rates higher.

In the IT space, Intel retreated ahead of its fourth-quarter update, with analysts not expecting any great surprise on the upside from the chipmaker .

OUTLOOK

The market will next brace for the November employment report on Friday, when forecasters anticipate the addition of about 200,000 jobs following a gain of 337,000 in October, while the jobless rate should slip to 5.4 percent from 5.5 percent.

THE NUMBERS

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gave up 5 points to 10,585. The Nasdaq composite index added 5 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,143 while the Nasdaq-100 index of large capitalization tech and biotech stocks ended up 0.3 percent at 1,613.