US stocks open slightly higher as focus turns to earnings, economic data

The benchmark S&P 500 opened slightly higher on Thursday following strong gains in the previous session, as investors assessed softer-than-expected retail sales data and a set of strong bank earnings.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 68.7 points, or 0.16%, at the open to 43,290.25. The S&P 500 rose 13.7 points, or 0.23%, to 5,963.61, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 62.6 points, or 0.32%, to 19,573.867.