Stocks briefly turned negative on Thursday and then traded slightly higher after a disappointing business activity survey from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 26.34 points, or 0.22 percent, at 11,923.61. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 1.42 points, or 0.11 percent, at 1,266.84. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 3.19 points, or 0.12 percent, at 2,634.65.

(Reporting by Angela Moon, Editing by Jan Paschal)