U.S. stocks open higher, Facebook results boost Nasdaq
U.S. stocks rose in early trading on Thursday, as the latest round of corporate earnings gave further support to equity valuations, particularly in the technology sector, where strong results from Facebook lifted sentiment. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4% to 24,171. The S&P 500 added 0.5% to 2,653. The Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 1% to 7,074, supported by Facebook. The social-networking giant was one of the most active stocks in morning trading, rising 8.5% a day after it reported results that topped analyst forecasts. Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. also climbed after their results, with Micro up 11% and Chipotle gaining 14%. However, the day's gains were limited as investors continued to warily monitor the yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury note, which remained near the psychologically important 3% level.