Stocks pared losses and the Dow turned positive in afternoon trading on Thursday as plane maker Boeing Co rose after it said it expects the first flight of its long-delayed 787 Dreamliner by the end of 2009 and as oil prices cut losses.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 12.01 points, or 0.13 percent, at 9,555.53. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was down 1.96 points, or 0.19 percent, at 1,026.16. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was down 11.79 points, or 0.58 percent, at 2,012.64.

(Editing by Leslie Adler)