U.S. stocks were little changed on Thursday as gains in bank stocks were countered by the second day of losses in energy shares, a day before the crucial monthly jobs report that would bolster already sky-high odds of a rate hike next week. Fueling the rise in bank stocks was a report that showed the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose to 243,000 last week, but remained below 300,000 for the 105th week.