US Stock Markets Today: S&P 500, Dow Jones Open Higher, Nasdaq Up 1.21%

All three main US stock market indices opened higher on Friday, as Wall Street opened for the last trading day of the week.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 1.21% to trade at 19,573.87, and the broader index, S&P 500, advanced as much as 0.44% to 5,963.61.

The 30-stock Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.31% to 43,290.25.

For the week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 have gained 3.6% and 2.8%, respectively, marking their strongest weekly performance since the US Presidential election in November. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite, with a 2.4% week-to-date rise, is on track for its best weekly advance since early December.

Nine of the eleven sectoral indices advanced, led by consumer discretionary, materials, communication services, information technology, and financials. While healthcare and the S&P 500 utilities sector saw notable declines.

Among major companies, shares of Intel Inc., Tesla Inc., Nvidia Corp., Amazon.com, Moderna Inc., Moody's Corp., Bank of America Corp., and Boeing Inc. witnessed gains in early trade. On the other hand, FedEx Corp., Target Corp., and JPMorgan Chase & Co. saw declines.

Among other asset classes, the yield on 10-year US Treasury bonds advanced two basis points to 4.59%.

The dollar spot index rose 0.1%. The euro fell 0.1% to $1.0286, and the British pound fell 0.5% to $1.2183. The Japanese yen rose 0.4% to 155.77 per dollar.

In the commodities market, spot gold declined 0.10% to $2,711.48 an ounce. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, declined 0.31%. It was trading at $81.04 per barrel.

Bitcoin, the world's largest traded cryptocurrency, rose 2.3% to $102,474.64 after reassuring US inflation data that lifted global markets by reviving bets on further Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts.