US equity indexes traded mixed after midday Thursday as a plunge in UnitedHealth Group (UNH) shares pushed the Dow Jones Industrial Average lower.

The Nasdaq rose 0.2% to 16,343.2, and the S&P 500 climbed 0.7% to 5,313.3, both clawing back declines from earlier in the session. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.9% to 39,303.6 ahead of the holiday-shortened week ending with Good Friday.

All sectors, except technology, rose intraday. Energy, consumer staples, and real estate led the gainers.

UnitedHealth Group's (UNH) shares sank 22% intraday, the worst performer on the S&P 500 and the Dow, after the health insurance giant's Q1 results fell short of analysts' estimates and it slashed its full-year earnings outlook.

Meanwhile, in a social media post on Thursday, Trump said Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell should "certainly" lower interest rates. "Powell's termination cannot come fast enough," Trump said, calling the central bank chief "too late."

Trump's remarks come a day after Powell reiterated that the impact of US tariffs on inflation may not quickly unwind. "We may find ourselves in the challenging scenario in which our dual-mandate goals are in tension," Powell said, referring to the Fed's goals of gaining maximum employment and stable prices.

Trump said in a separate social media post on Wednesday that "big progress" was made in tariff talks with Japan without mentioning details of the discussions, according to several media reports.

"Of course, the negotiations will not be easy going forward, but President Trump has stated that he wants to give top priority to the talks with Japan," Reuters quoted Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba Wednesday.

Most US Treasury yields rose, with the 10-year up 5.1 basis points to 4.33% and the two-year rate up 1.2 basis points to 3.80.

In US economic news, March housing starts fell more than 11% from the previous month to a 1.324 million annual rate, below expectations in a Bloomberg-compiled survey for a 1.42 million rate after an increase to a 1.494 million pace in February.

Building permits increased 1.6% to a 1.482 million rate in March, above the 1.45 million rate expected and following a decline to a 1.459 million rate in February. Homes permitted but not started also increased, implying the outlook is positive for a gain next month.

Further, in company news, Global Payments (GPN) plans to acquire Worldpay from GTCR and FIS (FIS) for $24.25 billion of cash and stock and sell its Issuer Solutions business to FIS at an enterprise value of $13.5 billion. Shares of Global Payments slumped 17% intraday, the second-worst performer on the S&P 500.

Eli Lilly (LLY) said its investigational obesity pill helped diabetes patients achieve glucose control and weight loss, sending the pharmaceutical giant's shares soaring 16% intraday, the top gainer on the S&P 500.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures surged 3.6% to $64.75 a barrel.

Gold futures fell 0.5% to $3,330.1 per ounce, and silver futures dropped 1.5% to $32.5.