NEW YORK, Oct 7 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were flat in early trading on Thursday, after briefly turning negative on a rebound in the U.S. dollar.
Stocks had opened higher, helped by an unexpected drop in weekly jobless claims, as well as some strong September sales data from retailers.
The Dow Jones industrial average was up 1.74 points, or 0.02 percent, at 10,969.39. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 0.57 points, or 0.05 percent, at 1,159.40. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 0.44 points, or 0.02 percent, at 2,380.22.