Mumbai, Feb. 11 -- The Dow inched up 52.27 points (0.1%) to 50,188.13, but the S&P 500 fell 23.01 points (0.3%) to 6,941.81 and the Nasdaq slid 136.20 points (0.6%) to 23,102.47.

Choppy trading continued on Wall Street as investors stayed cautious ahead of the Labor Department's delayed monthly jobs report, expected Wednesday. The report, postponed due to last week's brief government shutdown, is projected to show U.S. employment rising by 70,000 in January after a 50,000 gain in December, with the unemployment rate steady at 4.4%.

Traders largely ignored Commerce Department data showing retail sales were flat in December, falling short of expectations for a 0.4% rise after a 0.6% gain in November. Nationwide Chief Economist Kathy Bostj...