* Brokerage upgrades offset data; GE up more than 7 pct

* U.S. unemployment rate highest in more than 26 yrs

* Dow flat, S&P 500 up 0.1 pct, Nasdaq up 0.1 pct

* For up-to-the-minute market news, click [STXNEWS/US] (Updates to afternoon, changes byline)

By Chuck Mikolajczak

NEW YORK, Nov 6 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks barely budged in a choppy trading session on Friday, lifted by several broker upgrades that offset disappointing data showing the unemployment rate rose to its highest in more than 26 years.

General Electric Co (GE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) jumped 6.4 percent to $15.36 after two analysts' upgrades and helped push the industrial sector higher. The S&P industrial index was up 1.1 percent.

The market fell at the open and briefly turned positive after closer inspection of the report showed payroll losses kept declining and job losses for earlier months were revised lower. For details, see [ID:nN06178752].