US STOCKS-Markets little changed as retail sales offset data

                                
   * Private employers add 55k jobs in May, below forecast
                                
 * ISM services index grows less than expected
                                
 * Retail sales slightly below view
                                
 * Indexes: Dow and S&P flat, Nasdaq up 0.2 pct
                                
 * For up-to-the-minute market news see [STXNEWS/US]
  (Updates to early morning with ISM and factory orders data)
                                
 By Ryan Vlastelica
                                
 NEW YORK, June 3 (Reuters) - Wall Street was little changed
on Thursday, erasing earlier gains as lackluster May retail
sales offset data reinforcing optimism that tomorrow's payroll
report would be strong.
                                
 The S&P retail index <.RLX> was up 0.2 percent, off session
higher as May U.S. retail sales rose 2.5 percent on average,
below expectations for 2.6 percent growth.
                                
 Costco Wholesale Corp <COST.O> fell 1.9 percent to $57.84
after its sales missed estimates, while BJ's Wholesale Club Inc
<BJ.N> lost 2.8 percent to $36.68. On the upside, Bon-Ton
Stores Inc <BONT.O> gained 3.8 percent to $12.58. For details,
see [ID:nN03159334]
                                
 "The retail sales reflect what we're likely to see out of
the consumer for a while: growth, but not robust growth," said
Paul Kasriel, director of economic research at Northern Trust
in Chicago.
                                
 The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 2.27 points,
or 0.02 percent, at 10,251.81. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index
<.SPX> rose 0.08 points, or 0.01 percent, at 1,098.46. The
Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> added 3.93 points, or 0.17
percent, at 2,285.00.
                                
 The market cut gains from earlier in the session after
reports showed the Institute for Supply Management's services
index grew for a fifth straight month, while private employers
added jobs in May, and initial jobless claims fell. For
details, see [ID:nN03226084] and [ID:nN0360959]
                                
 In other economic data, new orders received by U.S.
factories rose 1.2 percent in April, the government said.
Analysts expected an increase of 1.8 percent. [ID:nN02190143]
                                
 "The data is mixed at best," said Dan Cook, senior market
analyst at IG Markets in Chicago. "However, the numbers are
close enough to consensus that there's still quite a bit of
optimism for tomorrow's number."
                                
 On Friday, the critical May non-farm payrolls report is
due, with economists looking for 513,000 non-farm jobs being
added to the economy.
                                
 JPMorgan Chase & Co <JPM.N> fell 0.5 percent to $39.37. The
big bank, a Dow component, was fined a record 33.32 million
pounds ($49.12 million) in Britain for failing to adequately
protect client money. [ID:nLDE6520QJ]
  (Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)