U.S. stocks recovered from initial declines on Thursday, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq turning positive in a choppy session as commodity prices gained back earlier losses.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 14.98 points, or 0.12 percent, to 12,615.05. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> dropped 0.21 point, or 0.02 percent, to 1,341.87. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gained 3.74 points, or 0.13 percent, to 2,848.80.

(Editing by Kenneth Barry)