A weaker-than-expected report on U.S. employment growth discouraged investors as trading opened Friday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down a fraction of a point at 10,593. The S & P 500 gained a fraction to reach 1,190, while the NASDAQ advanced one point to hit 2,059.
European share prices are higher in midday trading. London's Financial Times index and the DAX index in Frankfurt moved up around half a percent, while the CAC-40 in Paris made smaller gains.
Earlier in Asia, Tokyo's Nikkei index fell 29 points to finish at 11,360. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 70 points to end at 13,585.
The price of gold fell more than one dollar, trading at 415 dollars and 71 cents an ounce in New York.
The dollar in London is lower against the yen but gained in value compared to the euro.
