Disappointing retail sales figures and an unexpected jump in unemployment claims prompted investors to take profits Thursday, leaving stocks mixed despite another big drop in oil prices.</br></br>One day after crude oil futures posted their biggest decline since September 2001, oil prices again fell sharply.</br></br>However, stock investors were disappointed with November sales reports from the nation's retailers. A number of top retailers issued lower-than-expected sales reports as the holiday shopping season got underway. With two-thirds of the U.S. economy powered by consumer spending, many investors hoped strong holiday spending would boost the economy through the end of the year.</br></br>The Dow Jones industrial average fell 5.10, or 0.05 percent, to 10,585.12. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index dropped 1.04, or 0.1 percent, to 1190.33, while the Nasdaq composite index gained 5.34, or 0.3 percent, to 2143.57.</br></br>Investors also were nervous after the Labor Department reported a sharp rise in first-time unemployment claims, which climbed 25,000 last week, to 349,000.