NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks turned positive on Thursday as better than expected monthly sales from Wal-Mart and a rise in oil prices temper recession worries.
* Wal-Mart November same-store sales rose 3.4 percent versus expectations calling for a 2.1 gain, overshadowing bleak November retail sales from other major retailers.
* Oil briefly tops $47 a barrel.
* The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was down 29.63 points, or 0.34 percent, at 8,562.06. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was down 3.61 points, or 0.41 percent, at 867.13. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was down 5.53 points, or 0.37 percent, at 1,486.85.
(Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Kenneth Barry)
