NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks are flat after the government released new data on consumer spending and unemployment and some earnings reports disappointed investors.
The Dow Jones industrial average is down 3 points to 13,907. The Standard & Poor's 500 fell a fraction to 1,501. The Nasdaq is up 4 points to 3,146.
The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits last week jumped 38,000 to a seasonally adjusted 368,000, the Labor Department said Thursday.
United Parcel Service Inc. says it was slowed down in the fourth quarter by weak global trade and a disappointing holiday-shopping season.
