Stocks sagged Thursday, following word of declining growth in jobless claims and higher-than-expected inventory buildup in crude oil. Most exchange-traded funds followed suit.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 94 points at 10,197. The Nasdaq ended down 18 at 2,149, and the S&P 500 finished down 11 at 1,087.

Initial claims for jobless benefits fell by 12,000 to 502,000 in the week ended Nov. 7, the Labor Department said Thursday in its weekly report. That is the lowest level since Jan. 3, and economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had expected a decrease of just 2,000 claims.

Total claims lasting more than one week also declined, and the four-week moving average of new claims, which aims to smooth volatility in the data, fell by 4,500 to 519,750, the lowest level since Nov 2008.

Investors were disappointed by a 0.1% dip in Wal-Mart Stores U.S. same-store sales for the third quarter. The discount giant also issued fourth-quarter and full-year earnings guidance, the low end of which missed analysts' expectations. Wal-Mart also said same-store-sales are projected to be flat or off 1% for the fourth quarter.

Crude oil inventories for the week rose by 1.8 million barrels in the week ended Nov. 6, the Energy Department reported. Analysts polled by Platts had expected an increase of 1 million barrels. Gasoline inventories rose 2.5 million barrels and distillate stockpiles, which include heating oil and diesel, added 300,000 barrels. Demand for gasoline dropped 1.9% from a week ago to 8.8 million barrels a day.

For a detailed rundown on Thursday s trading session see our market story.

Winners

Market volatility was good for the iPath Exchange Traded Notes S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures Index fund, which rose 3.1%. Among unleveraged ETFs, the Short S&P 500 ProShares fund picked up 1.1%.

Losers

Pressure on energy prices hit Brazilian stocks and helped push the iShares MSCI Brazil Index fund down 3.3%. The drop in oil prices also pressured the United States Oil fund, which lost 3.2%.

Thursday s Industry Headlines

Launching Pad
Van Eck Global launched its Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners fund, which began trading Wednesday on the New York Stock exchange. The fund is linked to a basket of juniors small- and midcap mining companies developing new sources of gold, either through greenfields exploration or the use of new geologic models to prospect in overlooked or abandoned properties. The fund charges an annual expense ratio of 0.6%.

Friday s Notebook

Earnings and Conference Calls
Abercrombie & Fitch, Agilent Technologie, Artio, BCB Holdings, Craft Brewers Alliance, First Data, Fortress International Group, JCPenney, Michael Foods, Penford, Petr leo Brasileiro S.A.-Petrobras, Pressure BioSciences, Ready Mix, Teekay, URS, Votorantim Celulose e Papel, Yingli Green Energy Holding

Economic Data
8:30 a.m. International Trade
8:30 a.m. Import and Export Prices
9:55 a.m. Consumer Sentiment
10:30 a.m. EIA Natural Gas Report