Jan 19 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks opened higher on Friday, putting the major indexes on track for three straight weeks of gains as hopes of a strong earnings season overshadowed fears of a potential U.S. government shutdown.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 12.73 points, or 0.05 percent, to 26,030.54. The S&P 500 gained 6.71 points, or 0.24 percent, to 2,804.74. The Nasdaq Composite added 23.45 points, or 0.32 percent, to 7,319.50. (Reporting by Sruthi Shankar in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D‘Silva)