U.S. stocks close mixed

NEW YORK, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended mixed on Thursday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 55.96 points, or 0.11 percent, to 49,071.56. The S&P 500 sank 9.02 points, or 0.13 percent, to 6,969.01. The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 172.327 points, or 0.72 percent, to 23,685.12.