U.S. stocks open higher ahead of data; Dow Jones up 0.17%

U.S. stocks opened higher on Friday, a day after trading was halted in all Nasdaq securities for more than three hours, as markets eyed the release of U.S. new home sales data later in the day. 

During early U.S. trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.17%, the S&P 500 index rose 0.27%, while the Nasdaq Composite index gained 0.70%. 

On Wednesday, the minutes of the Fed’s July meeting showed that officials were "broadly comfortable" with plans to start unwinding the bank’s USD85 billion-a-month bond buying program.

However, officials remain divided over the timing of possible reduction, with almost all committee members agreeing that a change in the asset purchase program was not yet appropriate. 

The minutes described recent U.S. economic data as “mixed”, indicating that plans to taper could be pushed back if the economy was to weaken.

In the tech sector, Apple slipped 0.17% after billionaire investor Carl Icahn tweeted that the company's CEO Tim Cook was planning a bigger buyback. 

The news came after Icahn revealed last week that he had taken a large position in Apple, which is estimated to be worth more than USD1 billion. 

Separately, a number of images were leaked on Thursday of what could be Apple's new line of iPhones. 

On the upside, Microsoft surged 6.51% after the company said CEO Steve Ballmer will retire within 12 months. 

Meanwhile, Moody's Investors Service warned it might cut the credit ratings of the six of the biggest U.S. lenders, including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo. 

The ratings agency said the U.S. government may be unlikely to bail the banks out should they face trouble in the future. 

At the open of the U.S. trading session, Goldman Sachs fell 0.24% and JP Morgan dipped 0.06%, while Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo gained 0.04% and 0.28% respectively. 

Other stocks likely to be in focus included Foot Locker and Hibbett Sports, scheduled to post quarterly results. 

Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were higher. The EURO STOXX 50 climbed 0.72%, France’s CAC 40 rose 0.34%, Germany's DAX advanced 0.40%, while Britain's FTSE 100 jumped 0.93%. 

During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 0.15%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index surged 2.21%. 

Later in the day, the U.S. was to release official data on new home sales.