U.S. stocks were slightly lower in late morning trading on Thursday as investors parsed a barrage of economic data and awaited the monthly jobs report.br While concerns linger over the state of the global economy, upbeat data from major economies this week and signs of a rebound in commodity prices have helped ease some of those worries.br "We've had a pretty nice run off late because of oil prices steadying and positive macro economic data," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities in New York.