United States stocks are searching for direction in late afternoon trading despite news of solid trade data from China that suggested better prospects for the world's second-biggest economy.
At 0630 AEDT, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 29.80 points, or 0.19%, to 15,964.97.
The broad-based S&P 500 inched down 1.04 points, or 0.06%, to 1,818.71, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index added 11.10 points, or 0.27%, to 4,202.14.
Chinese exports jumped more than expected, increasing 10.6% to $US207.13 billion ($A229.81 billion), while imports were up 10.0% at $US175.27 billion ($A194.46 billion), according to Chinese government data.
While the data were promising following a spate of disappointing Chinese indicators, some economists suggested they were driven by disguised capital flows instead of real demand.
