U.S. stocks were little changed in early trading Thursday as investors weighed disappointing quarterly results and forecasts from several big companies. Telecom stocks fell, while health care stocks mostly rose.
KEEPING SCORE: The Dow Jones industrial average edged down 5 points to 18,232 as of 10:27 a.m. Eastern time. The Standard & Poor's 500 index slipped 3 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,141. The Nasdaq composite index fell 10 points, or 0.2 percent, to 5,235.
BAD DEAL: EBay slumped 10.2 percent after the e-commerce giant reported disappointing fourth-quarter results. The stock was the biggest decliner in the S&P 500, sliding $3.31 to $29.22.
HANG UP: Verizon slid 2.8 percent after the company posted weak quarterly revenue as it added far fewer wireless and internet service subscribers than a year ago. The stock shed $1.33 to $49.05. Rival AT&T also fell, shedding 77 cents, or 2 percent, to $38.61.
RAILROADED: Union Pacific was down 3.6 percent after it said weak demand for consumer goods had dampened its freight and coal shipments volume. The railroad operator slid $3.49 to $93.63.
DOUGH NOT: Dunkin' Brands Group fell 2.9 percent after the chain's latest quarterly revenue snapshot fell short of Wall Street's expectations. The company also cut its forecast for sales growth. The stock lost $1.48 to $49.52.
TURBULENT QUARTER: American Airlines slid 1.8 percent after the company said its latest quarterly earnings fell due to higher labor costs and declining revenue. The stock fell 74 cents to $39.89.
CHARGED UP: American Express surged 8.1 percent a day after the credit card issuer reported better-than-anticipated quarterly results and raised its annual outlook. The stock added $4.92 to $66.19.
NOT PLAYING: Investors bid up shares in Mattel, which reported strong earnings late Wednesday. The stock climbed $2.19, or 7.2 percent, to $32.83.
OVERSEAS MARKETS: Germany's DAX gained 0.5 percent, while France's CAC-40 was up 0.4 percent. London's FTSE 100 was 0.1 percent lower. Earlier in Asia, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 rose 1.4 percent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.3 percent.
ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude was down 88 cents, or 1.7 percent, to $50.72 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, was down $1.06, or 2 percent, to $51.62.
BONDS AND CURRENCIES: Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 1.74 percent from 1.75 late Wednesday. In currency markets, the dollar gained to 103.97 yen from 103.39 on Wednesday, while the euro weakened to $1.0940 from $1.2275.