NEW YORK — Oil prices and energy companies plunged Thursday, but other stocks didn’t move much as investors waited for more signs about the state of the economy.

Household goods makers and health care companies rose after some solid company earnings reports. Most other parts of the market made little gains, but energy companies took sharp losses as the price of crude oil fell almost 5 percent. That was its biggest one-day loss in about two months.

“We may be seeing signs that global production is strong, and whenever markets see a decline in oil prices they worry it’s actually an indication of weak demand,” said Kate Warne, an investment strategist for Edward Jones.

Warne said oil prices have slipped recently because of concerns about rising energy production in the U.S. and slower economic growth in both the U.S. and China.

Health care stocks didn’t react much to the narrow passage in the House of Representatives of a bill intended to roll back much of former President Obama’s health care law.

Broader market measures did tick higher after the bill was passed, however, as investors hoped the Republican-controlled Congress may be in a better position to compromise on business-friendly polices such as tax cuts.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 1.39 points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,389.52. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 6.43 points to 20,951.47. The Nasdaq composite added 2.79 points to 6,075.34. The Russell 2000 index of small-company stocks dipped 2.08 points, or 0.1 percent, to 1,388.85.