The Dow briefly edged higher and U.S. stocks erased much of their losses on Thursday as investors shrugged off weak manufacturing data around the world, betting that easy money policies from central banks will prop up markets.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 10 points, or 0.07 percent, to 13,568. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> dropped 3 points, or 0.3 percent, to 1,457. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> dropped 12 points, or 0.4 percent, to 3,170.

(Reporting By Edward Krudy)