US stocks were little changed at midday on Friday, but a rebound in steel shares and end-of-year buying offered some support in thin, pre-holiday trading. Indices all are headed for a positive end to the year. Based on prices at the close on Thursday, the Dow was up 3.3 percent for the year, the S&P 500 gained 9.1 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite Index rose 8.7 percent.

Earlier Friday, the Standard & Poor's 500 index traded near its year high of 1216.47, and Nasdaq touched a new intraday high for the year of 2183.30. Volume was very light at 324 million shares at midday.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 0.96 points, or 0.01 percent, at 10,801.26 and the S&P 500 Index was down 0.03 points at 1,213.52. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 1.15 points at 2,179.49.

Copyright Reuters, 2005