U.S. stocks are little changed at midday after mixed reports on retail sales and unemployment, AP reported. The Dow Jones industrial average is down 21 points at 12,696. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index is unchanged. The Nasdaq is up 10 points at 2,858. The Labor Department says weekly unemployment claims fell slightly. A more closely watched update comes Friday, when the government reports how many jobs the economy added in January and gives the latest unemployment rate. January retail sales were mixed. Costco and Target came in better than expected and stock in both companies is higher. But Abercrombie & Fitch stock is down 11 percent. It says deeper discounts and higher cotton costs mean its adjusted quarterly profit and revenue will be less than analysts expect.
