Stocks pared gains, with the Dow industrials briefly in negative territory, following declines in crude prices and other risky assets and as the euro flattened against the dollar.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 2.31 points, or 0.02 percent, to 11,871.12. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> gained 4.67 points, or 0.38 percent, to 1,220.42. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gained 16.49 points, or 0.65 percent, to 2,557.50.

(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Jan Paschal)