* Jobless claims at near three-month low
* Dollar fluctuates on speculation over Fed stimulus
* Pepsi shares down 3.4 pct after outlook trimmed
* Indexes off: Dow 0.5 pct, S&P 0.6 pct, Nasdaq 0.3 pct (Updates to late morning trade; changes byline)
By Angela Moon
NEW YORK, Oct 7 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks dropped on Thursday as a rebound in the dollar and a weaker PepsiCo forecast curbed early investor enthusiasm spurred by improved jobless claims data.
After a choppy morning session, the Dow industrials struggled to break above the 11,000 mark at midday. During the morning, the index rose to within 2 points of that level.
PepsiCo Inc trimmed the top end of its earnings forecast, citing a tough economic environment and painting a gloomy early picture of the earnings season that unofficially kicks off with Alcoa Inc after the bell. PepsiCo fell 3.4 percent to $65.82.
"It's been the same story, the dollar goes down, assets are all inflated -- gold, oil, stocks. But in the end, stocks are valued by how much money they do make, and earnings are a big deal ... let's see what these guys actually have," said Joe Saluzzi, co-manager of trading at Themis Trading in Chatham, New Jersey.
The Dow Jones industrial average was down 55.48 points, or 0.51 percent, at 10,912.17. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 6.48 points, or 0.56 percent, at 1,153.49. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 7.92 points, or 0.33 percent, at 2,372.74.
As major indexes seesawed between gains and losses, options traders anticipating less volatility in the coming days.
In the options market, selling of puts -- a contract to sell a stock at a given date and price -- dominated the action in major indexes, including the SPDR S&P 500 exchange-traded fund and in Nasdaq 100 Index Tracking Stock at Wednesday's close, said Chris McKhann, analyst at optionMonster.com.
When investors sell index puts, they are reducing bets that the market will fall. In what is basically the same bet, put buying made up about 25 percent of the action in the CBOE Volatility index options and iPath Short-Term VIX Futures exchange-traded note, he said.
"Index put selling combined with VIX and VXX put buying is an indication that traders believe that volatility will continue to fall," McKhann said.
The dollar rebounded after falling to a 15-year low versus the Japanese yen and an all-time low against the Swiss franc on the prospect of more money-printing by the Fed to prop up the economic recovery.
Stocks were helped early after the government said initial claims for unemployment benefits dropped to their lowest since July.
The data came ahead of the government's key non-farm payroll report on Friday. Economists forecast that companies added 75,000 jobs in September.
On the upside, Abercrombie & Fitch Co jumped 9.4 percent to $42.21 and American Eagle Outfitters Inc climbed 7.9 percent to $16.20 as teen apparel retailers led generally stronger-than-expected U.S. same-store sales in September.