U.S. stock indexes moved slightly higher in early trading Thursday.

Both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the broader S & P 500 index are up one-tenth of a percentage point, while the NASDAQ index is ahead two-tenths of a percent.

Stocks are falling in afternoon trading in Europe.

London's Financial Times index is down one-half of a percent. The CAC-40 in Paris is down 1.2 percent, while the DAX index in Frankfurt is off 1.6 percent.

Tokyo's Nikkei index lost nearly one and one-half percent to finish at 9,901.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained one-tenth of one percent to finish the day's trading at 22,571.

Gold is trading up $1.49 an ounce at $1,614.97.

The dollar is weaker against the yen but stronger against the euro.