Stocks were little changed Thursday as tepid housing start and jobless claims reports gave investors few clues about direction of the economy and interest rates.
In early afternoon trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.46, or 0.01 percent, to 10,567.83. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was up 2.50, or 0.2 percent, to 1,209.08. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 7.59, or 0.4 percent, to 2,082.51.
