A late-session sell-off ahead of the Good Friday holiday kept stocks narrowly mixed Thursday. The sell-off was partially prompted by an uptick in oil prices. Earlier, stocks were lifted by a modest increase in industrial orders and a greater-than-expected rise in jobless claims, which helped to ease Wall Street’s inflation fears.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 13.15 points, or 0.1 percent, to 10,442.87. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fell 1.11 points, or 0.1 percent, to 1,171.42. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 0.84 of a point, or 0.04 percent, to 1,991.06.

New orders for U.S.-made durable goods rose an unexpectedly weak 0.3 percent in February after falling sharply the month before, and claims for jobless aid rose last week, signs the U.S. economy might be softer than economists had anticipated. The Labor Department said the number of U.S. workers seeking first-time unemployment benefits climbed last week by 3,000 to 324,000. Analysts had expected claims to fall to 315,000.

Among local movers, shares of Electro Rent Corp. jumped 4.8 percent to close at $13.81 after the Van Nuys based computer leasing company reported third-quarter net income of $6.9 million (27 cents per diluted share), compared with $3.3 million (13 cents) for the like period a year earlier. Revenue for the quarter ended Feb. 28 rose 22 percent to $28.8 million.

Guitar Center Inc. rose 2.5 percent to $52.65 after Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services raised the Westlake Village-based music instrument retailer’s corporate credit rating to “BB” from “BB-.” S & P; said the upgrade is based on Guitar Center’s improved operating performance and credit-protection measures, and that the outlook is stable for the company.

Occidental Petroleum Corp. gained 1.4 percent to $69.80 after the L.A.-based firm’s stock was rated “outperform” in new coverage by Raymond James. The price target was set at $85 per share.

Shares of Hemacare Corp. plunged 14.6 percent to close at $1.41 after the L.A.-based blood products and services provider reported fourth-quarter net income of $336,000 (4 cents per diluted share), compared with $264,000 (4 cents) for the like period a year earlier. Revenue for the quarter ended Dec. 31 rose to $6.9 million from $6.6 million in the comparable period of the prior year.