NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks ended near flat after another choppy session on Thursday as economic data eased fears about the potential effect of a weakening global economy on the United States.
The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> fell 24.95 points, or 0.15 percent, to 16,116.79, the S&P 500 <.SPX> gained 0.26 points, or 0.01 percent, to 1,862.75 and the Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> added 2.07 points, or 0.05 percent, to 4,217.39.
The Dow fell for a sixth straight session, matching a streak last seen in August 2013, but indexes closed well off their lows. The S&P fell as much as 1.5 percent earlier.
The Russell 2000 <.TOY> small-cap index rose more than 1 percent for a third straight session.
(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
