US stocks traded flat to slightly higher Thursday after two straight days of declines as jobless claims data showing improvement in the US labour market helped offset revived concerns about the euro zone's fiscal stability. Government data showed the number of Americans submitting claims for new jobless benefits fell to the lowest in nearly four years last week, indicating the labour market is slowly improving.
The data comes ahead of Friday's key employment report, when the stock market is closed for the Good Friday holiday. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 11.09 points, or 0.08 percent, to 13,063.66. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index inched up just 0.01 of a point, or unchanged on a percentage basis, to 1,398.97. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 13.37 points, or 0.44 percent, to 3,081.46.