New York (CNN Business) The Dow and US stocks were all over the place in choppy Thursday trading, after the bond market once again flashed warning lights that a recession could be coming.

Investors are also eagerly awaiting Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's speech in Jackson Hole on Friday, as they search for direction about the future of US monetary policy.

Dow INDU S&P 500 SPX Nasdaq Composite COMP Stocks finished mixed, with only theeking out a gain. The index closed up 0.2%, or 50 points, after swinging nearly 300 points from positive into negative, then back. Theandclosed down 0.1% and 0.4%, respectively.

Still, all three indexes are on track for their first positive week since late July, according to Refinitiv.

The 2-year and 10-year Treasury yields inverted Thursday, as well as just before Wednesday's closing bell. This means that the shorter-dated bond yielded more than the longer-dated one. It was the second time it happened this month, and an inverted yield curve has preceded each recession in the modern era.

Read More