NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are trading in a tight range for a fourth day after China's report of a jump in inflation.
China says Thursday its inflation rate has risen to 2.7 percent in February from 1.5 percent in January. A steep rise in prices could force China to raise interest rates. That could slow one of the world's fastest-growing economies and put a damper on a global recovery.
In the U.S., the Labor Department says workers filing for jobless benefits for the first time fell by 6,000 to 462,000 last week. Economists were predicting a slightly bigger drop.
At midday, the Dow Jones industrial average is down 12 at 10,556. The Standard & Poor's 500 index is down 2 at 1,143. The Nasdaq composite index is down 3 at 2,356.
