NEW YORK, Aug 6 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks erased their initial advance and turned lower on Thursday as declines in telecoms and biotech stocks offset optimism from a sharp fall in the number of workers filing new claims for jobless benefits.
* The Dow Jones industrial average slid 7.03 points, or 0.08 percent, to 9,273.94. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index dropped 2.69 points, or 0.27 percent, to 1,000.03. The Nasdaq Composite Index dipped 10.51 points, or 0.53 percent, to 1,982.54. (Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Kenneth Barry)