US stocks little changed before July jobs report

US stocks were little changed early Thursday as investors watched talks over reopening the Strait of Hormuz and waited for the July US employment report due Friday.

About 15 minutes after the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.1% at 54,381.53. The S&P 500 also added 0.1% to 7,734.23, while the Nasdaq Composite Index was unchanged at 26,364.18.

Iranian officials said Wednesday that Iran and Oman had agreed on a route for ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz and were finalising arrangements for joint management of the waterway. Oil prices rose early Thursday after falling earlier in the week.

Sandisk and Western Digital shares fell after earnings reports. Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare said the pullback was mostly because of high expectations rather than weakness in semiconductor industry fundamentals.