US stocks were little changed on Thursday as investors fretted that a deal on the US budget wouldn't come as soon as they had hoped after President Barack Obama threatened to veto a controversial Republican plan. NYSE Euronext was the star of the day, surging more than 30 percent as the S&P 500's top percentage gainer, after IntercontinentalExchange Inc said it would buy the operator of the New York Stock Exchange for $8.2 billion.

NYSE was up 32.8 percent at $31.95, while ICE shares vacillated between gains and losses. The stock was last down 0.8 percent at $127.22. The Dow Jones industrial average edged down 3.77 points, or 0.03 percent, at 13,248.20. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index added 1.12 points, or 0.08 percent, to 1,436.93. The Nasdaq Composite Index slipped 3.58 points, or 0.12 percent, to 3,040.78.

Copyright Reuters, 2012