NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks were slightly higher on Thursday as energy shares fell along with the price of oil, while regional factory activity data came in less weak than expected.
* Factory activity in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region contracted in December but at a less severe rate than in the previous month.
* The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> edged up 18.32 points, or 0.21 percent, at 8,842.66. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> added 0.63 points, or 0.07 percent, at 905.05. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 1.18 points, or 0.07 percent, at 1,580.49.
(Reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by James Dalgleish)
