NEW YORK, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks opened flat Thursday as investors awaited an announcement from the Federal Reserve on monetary policy.
The Federal Reserve will wrap up a two-day meeting later in the day and most investors expect it to announce a third round of quantitative easing to curb unemployment and boost the economy.
On the economic front, Labor Department data showed initial jobless claims reached 382,000 in the week ended Sept. 8, with a higher-than-expected rise of 15,000 from the previous week,
The department also reported a 1.7 percent rise in producer prices in August, the biggest since June 2009 and mainly caused by higher energy costs.
Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 3.29 points, or 0.02 percent, to 13336.64. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 0.33 points, or 0.02 percent, to 1436.23. The Nasdaq Composite Index edged up 1.76 points, or 0.06 percent, to 3116.07.
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