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U.S. stocks open higher with eyes on UoM report; Dow Jones up 0.38% [Forexpros](Forexpros Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Investing.com - Investing.com - U.S. stocks opened higher on Friday, as markets began to recover from the global downward trend caused by a plane crash in Ukraine and as investors eyed the release of U.S. consumer sentiment later in the trading session. During early U.S. trade, the Dow 30 rose 0.38%, the S&P 500 gained 0.42%, while the NASDAQ Composite climbed 0.69%. Market sentiment was hit earlier, after a Malaysian Airlines passenger jet crashed in eastern Ukraine overnight Thursday. All 298 people on board were killed, sharply raising the stakes in a conflict between Kiev and pro-Moscow rebels in which Russia and the West back opposing sides. The crash came a day after the U.S. and the European Union announced a fresh round of sanctions against Russia, following the annexation of Crimea in April and ongoing tensions in the rest of Ukraine. The U.S. package was the largest round of penalties so far. Markets were also jittery after Israel announced late Thursday the start of a ground campaign in Gaza after 10 days of aerial and naval bombardments failed to stop Palestinian rocket attacks. In the tech sector, International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) edged up 0.15% even after reporting a ninth straight quarter of declining sales as demand fell for hardware and computer services. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) added 0.22% after saying it plans said to cut 18,000 jobs, the largest round of cuts in its history, as Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella integrates Nokia Oyj (ST:NOKI)'s handset unit and slims down the software maker. DIRECTV (NASDAQ:DTV) added to gains, up 0.34%, after the largest U.S. satellite TV provider announced that it will be offering students at 10 universities its $199.99 NFLSundayTicket.TV, an online service that will start streaming games on September 7. Elsewhere, Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) gained 0.65% amid reports the social media giant is testing a "buy" button on browsers and mobile devices that lets users make purchases through advertisements. In the same sector, Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) fell 0.24% after saying it acquired CardSpring, a service that lets users redeem deals and discounts through merchants' tweets. In earnings news, General Electric (NYSE:GE) declined 0.71% after the conglomerate reported earnings that matched estimates. Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were mixed. The DJ Euro Stoxx 50 inched up 0.05%, France's CAC 40 added 0.19%, Germany's DAX declined 0.51%, while Britain's FTSE 100 inched 0.02% higher. During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.28%, while Japan's Nikkei 225 tumbled 1.01%. Later in the day, the U.S. was to release preliminary data from the University of Michigan on consumer sentiment. Investing.com offers an extensive set of professional tools for the financial markets. Read more News on Investing.com and download the new Investing.com Stocks & Forex App for Android! (c) 2014 Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). |