US STOCKS SNAPSHOT - Wall St flat as "fiscal cliff" talks eyed

NEW YORK Dec 27 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were flat at the open on Thursday as U.S. President Barack Obama returned to Washington to restart negotiations in an attempt to find a last minute deal to avoid a series of tax hikes and spending cuts due to take place next week.

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 1.30 points, or 0.01 percent, to 13,113.29. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index dropped 0.54 points, or 0.04 percent, to 1,419.29. The Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 2.35 points, or 0.08 percent, to 2,987.81.