Major indexes in the US stock market closed lower on Thursday, except the Nasdaq.

The Dow was down 63 points, or 0.18%, to 34,751, while the S&P 500 decreased almost 7 points, or 0.16%, to 4,473.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq, on the other hand, was up 20 points, or 0.13%, to 15,181.

The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, rose 2.8% to 18.69, indicating a highly volatile session for the fourth trading day this week.

The yield on 10-year US Treasury notes rose 2.6% to 1.338%, while the dollar index added 0.3% to 92.86.

Oil prices reversed course from their strong increase in recent days, but they were mixed at closing. Brent crude was up 0.3% to $75.66 per barrel, but West Texas Intermediate was flat at $72.61.

Precious metals were down significantly with gold falling 2.2% to $1,753 per ounce, and silver plummeting 3.8% to $22.93./agencies