NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Stocks struggled Wednesday morning, amid disappointing March sales from retailers and weakness in Merck after a jury handed down a split verdict in its latest Vioxx trial.

The Dow Jones industrial average (down 17.05 to 11,222.50, Charts) and the broader Standard & Poor's 500 (down 1.80 to 1,309.76, Charts) index both lost a few points in the early going.

The Nasdaq composite (down 0.89 to 2,358.86, Charts) was little changed.

Stocks surged Wednesday, with an Apple Computer-led technology rally boosting the Nasdaq to its best close in more than five years. The S&P 500 also closed at its highest point in nearly 5 years.

However, the tone was more muted Thursday morning.

A number of retailers reported disappointing March sales, blaming the shift of the Easter holiday to April from March.

However, the weak results didn't have much impact on many of the underlying stocks, and that seemed to protect the broader market.

Teen apparel makers Aeropostale (up $0.53 to $29.38, Research) and American Eagle Outfitters (up $1.92 to $31.43, Research) both posted weaker than expected results for stores open a year or more, or same-store sales. Yet, shares of both companies rose.

On the upside, Costco (up $0.66 to $55.80, Research) said sales rose 7 percent in the month, lifting its stock by 1 percent.

Among other movers, Merck (down $1.60 to $34.39, Research) slumped more than 3 percent following the results of the latest ruling regarding its withdrawn painkiller Vioxx. (Full story.)

U.S. light crude oil for May delivery rose 74 cents to $67.81 a barrel in electronic trading.

Treasury prices slumped, pushing the yield on the benchmark 10-year note up to 4.87 percent from 4.84 percent late Wednesday. Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions.

COMEX gold for June delivery surpassed $600 an ounce, striking a new 25-year record, but then retreated off those highs to trade at $598 an ounce.

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