Gains in McDonald's lifted the Dow in early afternoon trading on Thursday, while a cooling of the enthusiasm generated by President Donald Trump's tax plan pressured financial and technology stocks.
Shares in the world's biggest fast food chain rose 2.57 percent, their biggest single-day percentage gain in more than 2 months, after Longbow Research upgraded the stock to "buy."
The financial index was the biggest loser among the 11 major S&P sectors, after rising sharply on Wednesday on growing expectations of an interest rate hike in December, also spurred by Trump's promises to cut taxes.
Technology stocks slipped after gaining for two straight days and Apple's 0.76 percent fall weighed on the S&P and the Nasdaq.
"You see the market giving back a bit from yesterday, it's taking some profits off the reflation move," said Jeff Zipper, managing director at the U.S. Bank Private Client Reserve in Palm Beach, Florida.
"There is some rotation out of technology into some of the reflation trade sectors."
Trump's tax plan, which called for tax cuts for most Americans, also drew criticism for favoring business and the rich and potentially adding trillions of dollars to the deficit.
A Commerce Department report showed the economy grew a bit faster than previously estimated in the second quarter, but the momentum probably slowed in the third as Hurricanes Harvey and Irma temporarily curbed activity.
The storms also pushed up initial claims for state unemployment benefits for the week ended Sept. 23, the Labor Department said.
At 12:32 p.m. Eastern time, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 48.73 points, or 0.22 percent, at 22,389.44, the S&P 500 was up 1.6 points, or 0.06 percent, at 2,508.64 and the Nasdaq Composite was down 7.62 points, or 0.12 percent, at 6,445.65.