NEW YORK – Stocks struggled to a mixed finish Thursday after weak earnings news from 3M and other companies weighed on the market.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 12 points, but broader indexes posted slight gains. The market had risen steadily in the opening moments of trading following a surprise drop in first-time claims for unemployment benefits, pushing the Dow up as high as 53.

3M Co. set a negative tone with a downbeat view on the economy and a lower forecast for full-year earnings. 3M’s dim assessment of the U.S. and European economies was a sobering reminder that growth in many developed nations remains weak. The maker of everything from Post-It notes to Scotch Tape called growth in those regions “uninspiring.” Its shares fell 6.4 percent.

Apple Inc. fell about 1 percent after warning in a regulatory filing that profit margins might narrow next year. Colgate-Palmolive Co. also said it expects sales growth to slow next year.

The Dow fell 12.33, or 0.1 percent, to close at 11,113.95.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 1.33 point to 1,183.78, while the Nasdaq composite rose 4.11, or 0.2 percent, to 2,507.37

 


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