The Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.6 percent. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index fell 0.4 percent and the broad-based S&P 500 hovered around zero.
Chip giant Nvidia fell 2.2 percent, cloud services company Oracle fell 1.7 percent, and iPhone manufacturer Apple lost 0.5 percent.
Among today's winners were several defense companies that had plunged on Wednesday after President Donald Trump said stock dividends in the sector would not be allowed unless production was increased.
Northrop Grumman, which manufactures bombers, closed up 2.4 percent, and fighter jet manufacturer Lockheed Martin rose 4.3 percent. Kratos Defense surged 13.8 percent.
Thursday's broad gains in the sector came after President Donald Trump announced late Wednesday evening, after the stock market closed, that he wanted to increase the US's already enormous defense budget by 50 percent.
