U.S. stocks traded mostly higher Thursday, trying to extend Wednesday's late-session recovery, after the European Central Bank suggested it was willing to offer more stimulus at its next meeting in March, offsetting some pressure from low oil prices, CNBC reported.
U.S. stock index futures spiked Thursday morning, with Dow futures briefly up 100 points, on ECB's President Mario Draghi's remarks. But, the major indexes struggled to hold opening gains, with health care the greatest decliner in the S&P 500.
Oil continued to trade near lows not seen since 2003, with U.S. oil off about half a percent just above $28.30 a barrel, as of 9:41 a.m. ET. Weekly oil inventories are due later in the morning and could cause more volatility in oil prices.
