The New York equities markets were up slightly at midday as investors returned from the Christmas holiday weekend, but trade was light with many expected to remain on holiday all week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.31 percent higher to 12,381.27, while the Nasdaq Composite had added 0.32 percent to 2,408.75 and the S&P 500 was up 0.29 percent to 1,414.89. The Russell 2000 index of small-caps was 0.72 percent higher, to 786.41.

The oil sector was higher. ConocoPhillips added 32 cents to $71.37, while Chevron gained 42 cents to $73.15. Anadarko Petroleum was 55 cents higher to $42.69 after it said it will sell two of its gas fields in Louisiana, part of its plan to sell assets to lower its debt after purchasing Kerr-McGee and Western Gas Resources earlier in the year. ExxonMobil, meanwhile, was up 56 cents to $75.96.

Retail was mixed but mostly lower. In late morning trade, department stores were lower. Federated Department Stores dropped 0.2 percent to $38.03, while Kohls fell 0.7 percent to $69.30 and J. C. Penney was 1.3 percent lower to $78.54.

Other retailers were also down. Discount retailer Target dropped 0.6 percent to $56.98, while consumer electronics retailer Best Buy was 1.5 percent lower to $49.19. By midday, however, Wal-Mart had gained 28 cents to $45.82 after seeing declines earlier.

Internet shopping sites were mixed, with eBay gaining 0.8 percent to $30.45. Amazon, on the other hand, had dropped 1.6 percent to $39.58.

The New York equities markets were lower at mid-session on Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.3 percent to 112,001.01, the Nasdaq Composite 0.1percent lower to 2,331.84, and the S&P 500 falling 0.2 percent to 1,365.19. Earlier in the day, the Dow fell below the 12,000 level for a time.

Much of the declines was due to a mixed retail sector, as several discount retailers failed to live up to analyst expectations. While Costco held steady at $52.91, Kohl’s dropped 0.6 percent to $70.65. Wal-Mart fell 1.2 percent to $48.27 on sales that grew by only 0.5 percent in October and a forecast of flat sales in November. Dillard’s and Target each dropped 1.5 percent, to $29.34 and $56.82 respectively.

On the other hand, high-end retailers showed good sales in October saw gains in share prices. JC Penney was 1.3 percent higher to $76.11, while Nordstrom gained 1.6 percent to $47.05.

Intel dropped 1.6 percent to $20.82 on a downgrade from “buy” to “neutral” from Merrill Lynch. In issuing it’s remarks, the broker cited excess capacity and weakening demand. But in other computer-related stocks, Dell Computer added 3.3 percent to $24.82 on an upgrade from “sell” to “neutral” from Goldman Sachs.

In midday trade in New York on Thursday, the equities markets were lower as retailers were mixed and banks were down.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average had dropped 0.4 percent to 11,013.50 by mid-session, and the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 had lost 0.3 percent each, to 2,307.93 and 1,287.43 respectively.

Higher bond yields and continuing worries over interest rates sent the banking sector lower. Citigroup and Bank of America each lost 0.9 percent, with Citigroup trading at $46.12 and Bank of America at $45.12. Wells Fargo dropped 1.4 percent to $63.80.

In the retail sector, clothing retailers were generally lower, while department stores and discounters had a better day. On a report of same-store growth, Costco Wholesale was up 0.8 percent to $52.60, while Kohl’s gained 1.1 percent to $49.30 after reporting a rise of 3.4 percent in sales. But the Gap dropped 2.7 percent to $18.15 after it revealed that sales were down 11 percent in February. Meanwhile, Abercrombie & Fitch was down 10.3 percent to $60.35 on a report that same-store sales were up by only 5 percent on February, much less than the 14 percent that had been forecast.

The energy sector was up on higher crude oil prices, with energy providers in the lead. Halliburton added 3.5 percent to $71.81, while Schlumberger gained 2.2 percent to $120.70.