U.S. stocks opened flat on Thursday as investors continued to worry about the looming fiscal cliff debate even as data showed new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week.
The Dow Jones industrial average was up 1.00 point, or 0.01 percent, at 12,933.73. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 1.23 points, or 0.09 percent, at 1,395.76. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 8.46 points, or 0.29 percent, at 2,945.75.
Equities dropped more than 2 percent in Wednesday's session, the biggest daily decline for the S&P 500 since June.