US stocks have opened mixed as fresh jobs and growth data painted a dull picture of growth in the economy.

Five minutes into trade on Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 13.85 points, or 0.11 per cent, to 12,433.71.

The S&P 500 index, a broad measure of the markets, added 0.55 point, or 0.04 per cent, to 1,313.87.

The tech-rich Nasdaq slipped 3.79 points, or 0.13 per cent, to 2,833.57.

The US government cut its estimate for first-quarter economic growth to 1.9 per cent from 2.2 per cent, confirming the sluggish pace and raising questions over how much of a rebound could be expected in the current quarter.

Meanwhile two jobs reports – weekly unemployment claims and private sector job creation in May – both were disappointing, pointing to slow overall growth over the past month.

“The underlying trend does seem to be nudging higher,” said Ian Shepherdson of High Frequency Economics of the weekly report on new jobless claims – an indication of the pace of layoffs – which increased again.

He said it might only have been tied to the recent high petrol prices pushing down consumer spending through April.

“But we can’t rule out the idea that worries over Europe are contributing a bit too,” he said.

The three major stocks indices lost more than 1.1 per cent on Wednesday as worries about Greece and Spain kept buyers on hold.