The Dow briefly turned lower as the Nasdaq fell more than 1 percent on Thursday. Energy shares followed oil prices lower while shares of Research In Motion declined ahead of results after the bell.

But the Dow quickly shifted gears in volatile trading and rebounded.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 14.45 points, or 0.12 percent, at 11,911.72. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was down 4.69 points, or 0.37 percent, at 1,260.73. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was down 26.35 points, or 1.00 percent, at 2,605.11.

(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Jan Paschal)