U.S. stocks closed mostly lower Thursday, with telecoms leadingdeclines amid the latest batch of earnings. In U.S. economic news, weeklyjobless claims came in at 247,000, the lowest since 1973. Leading indicators in March rose 0.2 percent. In international economic news, theEuropean Central Bank (ECB) kept rates unchanged and President Mario Draghisaid he expects rates to remain at present or lower levels for an extendedperiod. In corporate news, Verizon traded 4percent lower as the worst performer in telecoms. The firm said an ongoing strike by itswireline workers was expected to hurt earnings in the current quarter. The firm posted first-quarter net income thatmet expectations amid strong table sales. The dollar reversed to trade higheragainst other major currencies. Lightsweet crude oil for June delivery lost $1 to $43.18 a barrel on the New YorkMercantile Exchange, while gold futures declined $2.80 to $1,251.60 an ounce. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped53, or 0.30 percent, to 18,043. Thebroader Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 5, or 0.22 percent, to 2,097. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index rose1, or 0.02 percent, to 4,949.