The S&P 500 turned positive and the Dow pared losses on Thursday following a rise in a gauge of the U.S. economy's prospects and a snapshot of factory activity in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region.

* The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was down 10.58 points, or 0.10 percent, at 10,592.57. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 2.07 points, or 0.18 percent, at 1,140.11. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 16.76 points, or 0.73 percent, at 2,308.01.

* The Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank said its business activity index slipped to 15.2 from 22.5 in December, which was a 4-1/2-year high. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected a January reading of 18.0. Any reading above zero indicates growth in the region's manufacturing sector.

* A gauge of the U.S. economy's prospects rose for the ninth straight month to a record high in December, a private research group said on Thursday, indicating a recovery was set to pick up.

(Reporting by Ellis Mnyandu; Editing by Padraic Cassidy)