NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - U.S. stocks straddled the breakeven line early Thursday on the day after nearly 700 CEOs of major companies had to certify corporate financial results.

Around 10 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones industrial average lost 40.99 to 8,702.32. The Nasdaq composite dipped 5.30 to 1,329. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was unchanged at 919.62.

Shares of Dell Computer (DELL: down $0.16 to $26.99, Research, Estimates) fell ahead of the release of its second-quarter results, due out after the close of trade. The personal computer maker is expected to report earnings per share of 19 cents, up from the 16 cents in the year-earlier period.

Shares of Brocade Communications (BRCD: up $0.93 to $15.98, Research, Estimates) rose after the data storage maker reaffirmed its forecast for improved earnings and revenue in its current quarter. The company also reported a fiscal third-quarter profit of 8 cents per share, in line with estimates and better than the 5 cents earned in the year-earlier period.

Dow component and computer maker Hewlett-Packard (HPQ: up $0.03 to $14.66, Research, Estimates) was little changed after Lehman Bros. upgraded the company's shares to "equal-weight" from "under-weight" based on valuation and on belief that U.S. enterprise demand is stabilizing. The firm trimmed its 2002 and 2003 profit estimates on the company, but raised the company's price target.

In the day's economic news, the number of Americans filing for first-time jobless claims rose by 6,000 to 388,000 last week, the government said. A separate report showed that industrial production rose 0.2 percent in July, the seventh straight month of gains, following a revised 0.7 percent gain in June. Capacity utilization was 76.1 percent, unchanged from June.

Wednesday was the deadline for 697 CEOs to certify the accuracy of their financial statements with the Securities and Exchange Commission and most did so. Dynegy (DYN: down $0.31 to $1.18, Research, Estimates) and a few other companies were unable to sign off on their books, but the vast majority did, reassuring investors who have been plagued by the corporate governance scandals that have hurt markets for months. To see a list of which companies have signed off, click here.

European rose at midday, while Asian-Pacific stocks closed higher.

Treasury prices backed off from big gains in the prior two sessions, sending the 10-year note yield up to 4.16 percent from 4.11 percent late Wednesday. The dollar was little changed versus the euro and yen.

Brent oil futures gained 1 cent to $25.96 a barrel in London, where gold edged lower.