Wall Street opens higher, adding to weekly gains for stocks

NEW YORK — Stocks are opening higher on Wall Street Friday, setting the market up to end the week on a strong note after a sluggish start. The S&P 500 index was up 0.5%, adding to its gains from a rally a day earlier when it had its biggest increase since March. Small-company stocks did better than the rest of the market. Investors were encouraged to see a surprise jump in retail sales last month despite rising prices and supply chain disruptions. Treasury yields rose following the report. The 10-year yield rose to 1.57% and the 2-year yield rose to 0.38%.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

Shares were mostly higher in Europe and Asia on Friday after technology companies powered the biggest rally on Wall Street since March.

Investors have been encouraged by strong earnings reports, as every S&P 500 company that has reported earnings this week has beaten forecasts.

“Overall, it is safe to say that the U.S. equity market is fully in a risk-on mode and traders aren’t afraid in backing riskier assets,” Naeem Aslam of Avatrade said in a commentary.

Inflation remains a key concern, and Friday will bring an update on how higher prices may be affecting consumer spending when the Commerce Department releases retail sales for September.

Germany’s DAX edged 0.2% higher to 15,493.34 and the CAC 40 in Paris climbed 0.4% to 6,712.55. Britain’s FTSE 100 added 0.2% to 7,224.41.

The future for the S&P 500 was 0.3% higher while the contract for the Dow industrials gained 0.4%.

In Asian trading, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 added 1.8% to to 29,068.63 and the Hang Seng climbed 1.5% to 25,330.96. In Seoul, the Kospi advanced 0.9% to 3,015.06.

Taiwan shares jumped 2.4% on news that computer chip maker TSMC had upgraded its profit outlook.

TSMC, the world’s biggest chip maker, climbed 4.7% after its CEO confirmed reports it plans to open a semiconductor fabrication plant in Japan.

The Shanghai Composite index picked up 0.4% to 3,572.37.

China will report its last quarter growth on Monday in another indicator of how the recovery from the pandemic downturn is progressing.

The S&P/ASX 500 in Australia gained 0.7% to 7,362.00. India’s markets were closed for a holiday.

On Thursday, a wave of buying gained momentum from a day earlier, when Wall Street broke a three-day losing streak.

The S&P 500 surged 1.8%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.6% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq climbed 1.7%.

Small company stocks also notched gains. The Russell 2000 index rose 1.4%, to 2,274.18.

Businesses are still facing pressure from rising costs. The Labor Department said inflation at the wholesale level rose 8.6% in September compared to a year ago, the largest advance since the 12-month change was first calculated in 2010.

Bond yields held steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury edged up to 1.54% from 1.53% late Thursday.

In other trading on Friday, U.S. benchmark crude oil topped $82 per barrel, gaining 72 cents to $82.03 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It surged 87 cents to $81.31 per barrel on Thursday.

Brent crude, the standard for international pricing, added 83 cents to $84.83 per barrel.

The U.S. dollar strengthened to 114.27 Japanese yen from 113.67 yen late Thursday. The euro rose to $1.1606 from $1.1596.