Stocks Waver at Open, Yellen in Focus

U.S. stocks wobbled between small gains and losses on Thursday, following dovish remarks from U.S. Federal Reserve Vice Chair Janet Yellen. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately dipped 14.38 points, or 0.09%, to 15,807.25. The S&P 500 was down 1.14 points, or 0.06%, to 1,780.86. The Nasdaq Composite fell 10.96 points, or 0.28%, to 3,954.62.

The U.S. government reported more Americans than forecast filed for jobless benefits last week. Initial jobless claims dropped by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 339,000 in the seven days ended Nov. 9, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Separately, tThe U.S. trade gap climbed to $41.8 billion from a slightly revised $38.7 billion in August, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

Tyco International Ltd. (TYC) on Thursday said it swung to a net profit in the fourth quarter at $166 million, or 35 cents a share, compared with a loss of $419 million, or 91 cents a share, in the year-ago period.