By Abhiram Nandakumar
REUTERS - U.S. stocks were little changed on Wednesday as a barrage of data painted a picture of moderate economic growth, giving Federal Reserve policymakers more to chew on as they consider whether to raise interest rates next month.
Worries about the fallout from the downing of a Russian warplane by Turkey, which weighed on stocks on Tuesday, eased as traders looked forward to Thursday's Thanksgiving holiday.
"The market will be guided by the macro news of the day, notwithstanding the geopolitical concerns that remain elevated," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at First Standard Financial in New York.
Data showed claims for jobless benefits fell more than expected to 260,000 last week, while durable goods orders for October, excluding aircraft, increased 1.3 percent, far more than the 0.4 percent expected.
However, other data showed consumer spending increased just 0.1 percent in October, less than the 0.3 percent expected.
The University of Michigan's final index on consumer sentiment for November is due at 10.00 a.m. (1500 GMT), as is a report on new single-family home sales for October.
At 9:36 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 8.75 points, or 0.05 percent, at 17,820.94.
The S&P 500 was up 0.5 points, or 0.02 percent, at 2,089.64, while the Nasdaq Composite index was up 7.86 points, or 0.15 percent, at 5,110.67.
Five of the 10 major S&P sectors were higher, with the consumer discretionary sector's 0.4 percent rise leading the advancers. Amazon, up 1 percent at $677.55, was the biggest influence on the sector.
The Fed holds its last policy meeting of the year on Dec. 15-16, when it will decide whether to raise interest rates for the first time since 2006.
Crude oil resumed its slide as investors turned their focus back to a global supply glut. Shares of Exxon and Chevron fell marginally.
Heavy equipment maker Deere was up 4.8 percent at $79.91 after its quarterly profit beat estimates.
HP Inc, the new company that houses the former Hewlett-Packard Co's printer and PC businesses, dropped 12.1 percent to $12.84 after it forecast an adjusted profit for the first quarter that fell short of estimates.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise, which now holds HP's corporate hardware and services businesses, rose 1.8 percent to $13.95 after it maintained its profit forecast for the year.
Advancing issues outnumbered decliners on the NYSE by 1,390 to 1,199. On the Nasdaq, 1,140 issues rose and 1,021 fell.
The S&P 500 index showed seven new 52-week highs and no new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 28 new highs and 11 new lows.
(Reporting by Abhiram Nandakumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Ted Kerr)
