Stocks closed mixed yesterday in listless trading as cautious investors took few chances ahead of the release of today key economic data used to gauge inflation. The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 8.48 at 10,804.27.

Broader stock indicators closed higher. The Standard and Poor's 500 index closed up 0.51 at 1,510.49, and the Nasdaq composite index was up 34.02 at 4,280.20.

The markets lacked a clear direction while investors awaited the release on of the Consumer Price Index, which measures prices paid by consumers and is used as a barometer for inflation.

Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a five-to-four margin on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 900.37 million shares, down from 947.16 million on Friday.

The Russell 2000 index was up 2.54 at 545.17.