Currency traders work at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 17, 2016. Most Asian stocks rose Thursday, tracking gains on Wall Street after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged and forecast it will raise rates more gradually than it had envisioned last year. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. stocks moved little in early trading as investors weighed a report on unemployment benefits and corporate news.
Oil prices posted another strong gain Thursday, lifting energy stocks.
The Labor Department reported that applications for unemployment benefits rose slightly last week, but they remain at levels consistent with a healthy job market.
FedEx was up 8 percent after the package delivery company reported strong holiday-season sales. Williams-Sonoma fell 7 percent after the cookware retailer issued a downbeat forecast.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 16 points, or 0.1 percent, to 17,341 as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 1 point to 2,028. The Nasdaq composite fell 2 points to 4,761.
Bond prices were flat. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note remained at 1.91 percent.
A man walks past an electronic stock at a securities firm in Tokyo, Thursday, March 17, 2016. Asian stocks rose Thursday, tracking gains on Wall Street after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged and forecast it will raise rates more gradually than it had envisioned last year. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
The Associated Press
Men walk past electronic stock prices at a securities firm in Tokyo, Thursday, March 17, 2016. Asian stocks rose Thursday, tracking gains on Wall Street after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged and forecast it will raise rates more gradually than it had envisioned last year. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
The Associated Press
A currency trader watches monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 17, 2016. Most Asian stocks rose Thursday, tracking gains on Wall Street after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged and forecast it will raise rates more gradually than it had envisioned last year. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
The Associated Press
A currency trader talks on phone at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 17, 2016. Most Asian stocks rose Thursday, tracking gains on Wall Street after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged and forecast it will raise rates more gradually than it had envisioned last year. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
The Associated Press
A man walks past electronic stock prices at a securities firm in Tokyo, Thursday, March 17, 2016. Asian stocks rose Thursday, tracking gains on Wall Street after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged and forecast it will raise rates more gradually than it had envisioned last year. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
The Associated Press