U.S.-listed Chinese firms trade mostly higher

U.S.-listed Chinese companies traded mostly higher on Thursday, with eight of the top 10 stocks by weight in the S&P U.S. Listed China 50 index ending the day on an upbeat note.

Shares of Pinduoduo and Baidu surged 4.59 percent and 4.44 percent, respectively, leading the advancers in the top 10 stocks in the index.

Shares of NetEase and JD.com slid 1.84 percent and 0.13 percent, respectively, the only two decliners in the top 10 stocks.

U.S. stocks finished mixed on Thursday data showed the number of Americans filed for unemployment benefits came in more than expected last week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased 69.55 points, or 0.23 percent, to 29,999.26. The S&P 500 fell 4.72 points, or 0.13 percent, to 3,668.10. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 66.85 points, or 0.54 percent, to 12,405.81.

The Cboe Volatility Index, widely considered as the best fear gauge in the stock market, rose 1.12 percent to 22.52.

As of Wednesday, the S&P U.S. Listed China 50 index, which is designed to track the performance of the 50 largest Chinese companies listed on U.S. exchanges by total market cap, stood at 4,792.33, marking a 1.92-percent loss for the month-to-date returns and a 51.31-percent gain for the year-to-date returns.