U.S. stocks opened nearly unchanged on Thursday after Wednesday's plunge, as weekly unemployment claims came in consistent with market expectations.

In the week ending June 1, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims was 346,000, a decrease of 11,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 357,000, the U.S. Labor Department said Thursday.

The four-week moving average, which shows a broader trend, was 352,500, an increase of 4,500 from the previous week's revised average of 348,000, it added.

Investors will be paying close attention to the May nonfarm payroll report from the Labor Department, scheduled for Friday, to try to get a hint on whether the Federal Reserve will scale back its bond purchases earlier than expected.

Stock volatility has increased in recent weeks thanks to investors' continuing speculation on prospects of the Fed's quantitative easing policy. The CBOE Volatility Index, widely considered as a fear gauge of the market, ended over 17 on Wednesday.

Separately, U.S. monthly job cuts declined for the third consecutive month in May, according to consultants Challenger, Gray & Christmas on Thursday. U.S.-based employers announced plans to trim payrolls by 36,398 during the month, 4.5 percent fewer than the 38,121 cuts in April.

On Wednesday, a report showed the U.S. private sector added fewer jobs than expected, pushing the Dow Jones Industrial Average close below the important psychological level of 15,000 points for the first time since May 6.

Shortly after the opening bell Thursday, the Dow lost 7.37 points, or 0.05 percent, to 14,953.22 points. The S&P 500 inched down 1.16 points, or 0.07 percent, to 1,607.74 points and the Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 2.78 points, or 0.08 percent, to 3,404.26 points. Endi

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