New York -- U.S. markets traded mostly flat Wednesday after the Department of Labor said consumer prices fell 1.3 percent in April compared to a year ago.
The drop in prices is the largest in a 12-month span since 1950, nearly 60 years ago.
Prices, however, rose 0.1 percent in May, indicating deflation is not in the mix at present.
In midmorning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average gained 13.30 points, or 0.16 percent, to 8,517.97. The Standard & Poor's 500 lost 0.2 percent, 1.82 points, to 910.15. The Nasdaq composite index added 1.32 points, 0.07 percent, to 1,797.50.
The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury bond rose 4/32 to yield 3.634 percent.
The euro rose to $1.3871, compared Tuesday's to $1.3839. Against the Japanese yen, the dollar fell to 95.90 yen, compared to Tuesday's 96.44 yen.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei average gained 87.97 points to 9,840.85, up 0.9 percent.
