US benchmark equity indexes were mixed intraday as markets weighed the latest remarks by President Donald Trump on interest rates and oil prices.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.8% at 44,525.4 after midday Thursday, while the S&P 500 rose 0.3% to 6,103.3. The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.2% to 19,979.7. Barring technology, all sectors were higher, led by utilities and industrials.

Trump said he's going to ask Saudi Arabia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to bring down the cost of oil.

"If the price came down, the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately," he said. "With oil prices going down, I'll demand that interest rates drop immediately, and likewise, they should be dropping all over the world."

West Texas Intermediate crude oil was down 0.9% at $74.77 a barrel intraday.

In company news, GE Aerospace (GE) shares jumped 7.2%, the best performer on the S&P 500, after the company delivered a fourth-quarter beat.

Union Pacific's (UNP) fourth-quarter earnings growth surpassed views, while flat freight revenue contributed to a top-line miss as the railroad operator said it remains on track to meet targets outlined in September. Its shares were up 4.5%, the second-top gainer on the S&P 500.

Electronic Arts (EA) was the worst performer on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, down nearly 17%. Late Wednesday, the company reported preliminary fiscal third-quarter revenue that fell short of market expectations.

Leidos (LDOS) said Thursday it received a follow-on contract from the Transportation Security Administration to maintain 12,000 units of transportation security equipment at more than 430 airports in the US and its territories. The company's shares were down 6.1%, the second-steepest decline on the S&P 500.

The US 10-year yield was up 4.5 basis points at 4.65% intraday, while the two-year rate fell one basis point to 4.29%.

Applications for unemployment insurance in the US rose more than expected last week, while continuing claims reached their highest level since November 2021, government data showed.

Gold was down 0.3% at $2,764.10 per troy ounce, while silver dropped 1.9% to $30.83 per ounce.