U.S. stocks opened slightly lower on Thursday, as investors were awaiting the country' s non-farm payroll report due out later this week.

Traders will keep a close eye on Friday's non-farm jobs report this week for more clues on the central bank's next move.

In the previous session, U.S. private sector employment increased by 154,000 jobs from August to September, below market expectations, according to the September ADP National Employment Report Wednesday.

The ADP figure was watched closely as a pre-indicator for the non-farm payrolls report due Friday.

Wall Street also looked into oil prices, as U.S. crude rose 0.7 percent to 50.18 U.S. dollars a barrel, higher than 50 dollars for the first time since June.

Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 30.2 points, or 0.17 percent, to 18,250.83. The S&P 500 erased 2.23 points, or 0.10 percent, to 2,157.50. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 8.40 points, or 0.16 percent, to 5,307.62.

U.S. stocks ended higher on Wednesday, as investors cheered over a strong rebound in oil prices amid generally upbeat economic reports. 

Source : XINHUA