Stocks Opened Little Changed Amid G20 Meeting

Stocks edged higher on Friday as investors shrugged off a batch of tepid economic reports and as the Group of 20 finance ministers and central bankers met in Moscow. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately rose 13.04 points, or 0.09%, to 13,986.43 and the S&P 500 index gained 1.10 point, or 0.07%, to 1,522.48. The Nasdaq Composite index rose 2.65 points, or 0.08%, to 3,201.31.

Industrial production unexpectedly fell in January, weighed down by weak manufacturing and mining, according to a report on Friday. Industrial production dipped 0.1 percent last month after a revised 0.4 percent gain in December, the Federal Reserve said.

Regulators are scrutinizing unusual trading surrounding the planned $23 billion takeoverof the food company H. J. Heinz, raising questions about potential illegal activity in one of the biggest deals in recent memory.

Kraft Foods expects fourth-quarter adjusted earnings above analysts’ current estimates, but foresees lower revenue than a year ago. The company also raised its 2013 earnings forecast Friday. Kraft anticipates quarterly earnings of about 15 cents per share. Revenue is expected to drop 10.7 percent.

Airbus abandoned its plans to use lithium-ion batteries for its new A350 airplanes due to the uncertainty surrounding the technology following the grounding of Boeing’s 787, the company said.