NEW YORK, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks closed mixed on Thursday, as investors digested the latest economic data.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 164.70 points, or 0.66 percent, to 24,962.48. The S&P 500 increased 2.63 points, or 0.10 percent, to 2,703.96. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 8.14 points, or 0.11 percent, to 7,210.09.

Major indices gave up sharp gains on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve's January meeting minutes sent the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield to 2.956 percent, its highest level in four years. On Thursday, the yield traded lower at about 2.919 percent.

According to the minutes, Fed officials see increased economic growth and an uptick in inflation as justification to continue to raise interest rates gradually.

On the economic front, the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell to a near 45-year low last week.

In the week ending on Feb. 17, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 222,000, a decrease of 7,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 1,000 from 230,000 to 229,000.

The four-week moving average was 226,000, a decrease of 2,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 250 from 228,500 to 228,250.

For Chinese companies listed in the United States, shares of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba lost 0.04 percent to settle at 188.75 dollars, while shares of another Chinese technology company Baidu increased 0.98 percent to close at 249.35 dollars.