Stocks little changed after GDP estimate is raised

(AP) Stock indexes are holding near the break-even level in early trading even after the government raised its estimate for third-quarter U.S. economic growth.

Investors remain focused on budget talks in Washington. Republican lawmakers were advancing a bill that would raise taxes on people earning over $1 million a year, but President Barack Obama has threatened to veto it.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down a point at 13,250 shortly after the opening bell Thursday.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index was up a point at 1,437 and the Nasdaq composite slipped a fraction to 3,044.

The U.S. government raised its estimate for economic growth in the July-through-September quarter to 3.1 percent from 2.7 percent.

NYSE Euronext jumped 35 percent after agreeing to be acquired by IntercontinentalExchange for $8.2 billion.