The Dow Jones industrial average rose 19 points to 12,800 shortly after the market opened Thursday, reversing a pre-market decline in Dow futures on uncertainty about Greece's bailout.
The broader Standard & Poor's 500 fell about a point to 1,343. The Nasdaq composite fell 2 points to 2,914.
The Labor Department said weekly applications for unemployment benefits dropped for the fourth time in five weeks, reaching their lowest point since March 2008. The agency also said one broad measure of wholesale inflation came in lower than expected last month.
European markets did not fare as well. Major indexes slid on worries over whether Greece will secure a bailout, which it needs to avoid a default.
