Stocks Are Mixed, Dow Leads Losses

Stocks have opened fractionally higher, but roughly unchanged.

The Dow is down 27 points, the S&P 500 is down 1 point, and the Nasdaq is flat.

US stocks are bucking the trend from markets in Europe, where stocks sold off after the European Central Bank announced its latest monetary policy decision.

The ECB kept interest rates unchanged, and in his press conference following the announcement, ECB president Mario Draghi disappointed the markets, giving little color on the potential future of the central bank's plans for buying securities.

Following the ECB meeting, European stocks were lower, especially in the Euro periphery, with markets in Spain down 1.2% and markets in Italy down about 2%.

In France, stocks were down 0.7%, with German markets down about 0.5%.

The price of oil was also lower, falling below $90 a barrel for the first time in more than a year as commodities continue to get pummeled. Silver, platinum, and copper prices were all lower by more than 1% in early trade on Thursday.

On the economic data front, the initial report on weekly jobless claims came in better than expected, with claims coming in at 287,000 against expectations for 297,000. On Friday we get the latest non-farm payroll report from the BLS.

In stock news, Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, appeared on CNBC, announced the acquisition of the Van Tuyl Group, the nation's fifth-largest auto dealership operator, and defended the Burger King acquisition of Tim Horton's, for which he is providing $3 billion in financing.