US stocks flat in 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.