US stocks flat in hesitant trade

NEW YORK: US blue chips pushed higher Wednesday but the broader market was virtually flat amid hesitant trade.

The major indexes opened lower but pulled up in afternoon trade helped by strong annual sales data from US automakers.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished up 21.04 points (0.17 percent) at 12,418.42.

The broader S&P 500 added 0.24 (0.02 percent) to 1,277.30, while the tech-dominated Nasdaq Composite slid 0.36 (0.01 percent) to 2,648.36.