US stocks end flat after jumpy day of trade

US stocks ended flat Thursday after a seesaw day of trade, uninspired by modestly promising US jobs and trade data. At the closing bell the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 10.83 points (0.08 percent) at 13,164.81. The broader S&P 500 index added 0.57 (0.04 percent) to 1,402.79, while the tech-rich Nasdaq put on a relatively respectable gain of 7.39 points (0.25 percent) to 3,018.64. Trading drifted despite fresh economic data with a positive bent. US initial claims for unemployment insurance, an indicator of the pace of layoffs, fell by 6,000 to 361,000 in the week to August 4. Meanwhile, the trade deficit for June fell for the third straight month as exports continued to climb while imports decreased.