Most U.S. stocks drifted higher in quiet trading Thursday following a jumble of mixedreports that offered little clarity on how the U.S. economy is managing through President Donald Trump’s trade war.

** China's blue-chip CSI300 index was down 0.57%, with its financial sector sub-index lower by 1.31%, the consumer staples sector down 1.04%, the real estate index down 0.61% and the healthcare ...