The Dow and S&P 500 Thursday gave back some of their gains from the prior session, while the Nasdaq edged up closer to 5,000.
At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was at 17,961.03, down 115.16 points (0.64 percent), while the broad-based S&P 500 shed 10.01 (0.48 percent) to 2,089.49.
The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index gained 9.55 (0.19 percent) to 4,992.58, lifting it closer to the psychologically important 5,000 level for only the second time in 15 years.
Greg Peterson, managing director at Ballentine Partners, said Thursday's trade was "in line with a normal volatile market" after Wednesday's surge prompted by a dovish statement from the US Federal Reserve.
"Yesterday was the news and reaction day, today is the quiet day," he said.