Stocks Open Little-changed As Falling Oil Prices Hit Energy Shares

U.S. stock-market indexes opened nearly unchanged on Thursday, weighed down by energy companies, which were hit by falling oil prices. The April contract slid 1%, to $49.79 a barrel on top of a 5.4% drop on Wednesday. Closing lower would mark the fourth-straight session of losses. Thursday also marks the eighth anniversary of the cyclical bull market for U.S. stocks, during which the S&P 500 rose 250%. On Thursday, the S&P 500 opened flat at 2,363. Oil companies, such as Transocean Lts and Haliburton Company dropped more than 2% at the open, while the energy sector was down 0.7%. The Nasdaq Composite began the session down 2 points at 5,833. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up up by 8 points to 20,862 at the open.

Copyright © 2017 MarketWatch, Inc.