US equities absolutely flat as investor await Trump inauguration

Major US equity indices witnessed mild positive opening in wake of upbeat US economic data. 

Thursday's economic data released from the US showed weekly jobless claims dropped to lowest level since 1973, while housing starts jumped 11% in December. Separately, the Philly Fed manufacturing index recorded its highest reading since December 2014.

The gains, however, were muted as investors awaited President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Friday in order to gain further clarity over his stance on new fiscal policies to spur economic growth. 

At the time of reporting, both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the broader S&P 500 Index traded absolutely flat with mild positive bias, while tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index outperformed and gained 13-points to 5,568.

Elsewhere, the European Central Bank, on expected lines, left its monetary policy unchanged. Meanwhile, dovish comments from ECB President Mario Draghi extended some support to riskier assets - like equities, and seems to collaborate towards restricting any immediate downside.