U.S. stocks struggle for direction at the open after decline in U.S. jobless claims

U.S. stocks were struggling for direction Thursday morning, as investors assessed data showing a decline in weekly jobless claims. The Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA,
-0.25%
was about flat soon after the opening bell, while the S&P 500
SPX,
-0.16%
rose less than 0.1% and the Nasdaq Composite
COMP,
-0.32%
slipped less than 0.1%, according to FactSet data, at last check. U.S. jobless claims fell by 2,000 to 250,000 in the week ended Aug. 13, according to data released Thursday by the Labor Department. Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal had forecast new claims to total 260,000.