US: Stocks flat as ECB extends historic low rates

[NEW YORK] Wall Street stocks were little changed early Thursday, with a dovish policy announcement by the European Central Bank offsetting lingering worries over trade tariffs.

The ECB extended its ultra-low interest rates for at least six more months, adding to investor relief after Federal Reserve officials signaled earlier this week that they are open to interest rate cuts depending on the economic hit from trade conflicts and other headwinds.

About 15 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood at 25,572.31, up 0.1 per cent.

The broad-based S&P 500 gained 0.1 per cent to 2,828.71, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index was down a hair at 7,574.07.

AFP