Stocks fell for a third day in a row on Thursday as hope for a U.S. coronavirus stimulus deal continues to decrease while infections across Europe are on the rise.

The Dow closed 19.8 points lower, or 0.07%, at 28,494.20. Earlier in the day, however, the 30-stock average was down more than 300 points. The S&P 500 slid 0.2% to 3,483.34 and the Nasdaq Composite pulled back 0.5% to 11,713.87.

Facebook led most of Big Tech lower, falling 1.9% amid rising regulatory concerns. Amazon dipped 0.8%. Alphabet and Microsoft each fell 0.5% and Apple dipped 0.4%. Those losses were somewhat offset by gains in bank and energy names. JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup were all up more than 1%. Exxon Mobil and Chevron gained 0.9% and 0.8%, respectively.

Meanwhile, the Labor Department said Thursday there were 898,000 first-time filers of jobless benefits in the prior week, higher than a Dow Jones estimate of 830,000.

The uncertainty over new U.S. fiscal aid and disappointing economic data, along with the spike in coronavirus cases in Europe, came as investors waded through a slew of corporate earnings results.

Plan A : Long if market doesn't retrace much and supported firm above 3457. Targets are 3472, 3484 and 3500.

Plan B : Short if market failed to support above 3457. Targets are 3438, 3417 and 3390.

Stock futures were muted in overnight trading on Friday as investors await the latest retail sales data.

Retail sales data, due Friday at 8:30 a.m. ET, will offer an update on the recovery in consumer spending. Economists polled by Dow Jones expect retail sales to rise by 0.7% in September, following a 0.6% rebound in August. Excluding autos, sales were expected to rise by 0.4%.

The Dow and the S&P 500 closed well off their lows Thursday, however, helped by strength in cyclical stocks including financials and real estate names.

Stocks’ weakness this week came amid the uncertainties around further coronavirus stimulus as well as fears of a worsening pandemic around the world.

Lawmakers in Washington continued to send mix signals about progress toward a stimulus deal.Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday that the White House won’t let differences over funding targets for Covid-19 testing derail stimulus talks with top Democrats.

Plan A : Long if market doesn't retrace much and supported firm above 11862. Targets are 11890, 11918 and 11955.

Plan B : Short if market failed to support above 11862. Targets are 11825, 11788 and 11740.