Stocks Opened Higher, Extending Win Streak

U.S stocks opened higher on Friday in thin trading and eyed a second weekly gain in a row. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately rose 32.24 points, or 0.20%, at 16,512.12. The S&P 500 added 1.77 points, or 0.10%, at 1,843.79. The Nasdaq Composite added 0.17 point to 4,167.35.

U.S. benchmark Treasuries yields rose above 3 percent to their highest level in more than two years on Friday as traders pared their bond holdings in preparation for the Federal Reserve buying fewer bonds in 2014.

General Motors Co’s (GM) China joint venture will recall close to 1.5 million vehicles due to potential safety issues in one of the biggest recalls in the world’s biggest autos market.

Industrial conglomerate Textron Inc. on Thursday, Dec. 26, wagered $1.4 billion cash on the expansion of its general aviation business with a deal to buy the parent company of Beechcraft Corp.

The euro rallied Friday to the highest level against the U.S. dollar since October 2011 as a European Central Bank official cautioned against arbitrary monetary easing. The euro EURUSD +0.81% climbed to $1.3818 in recent trade after rallying as high as $1.3893 earlier in the session, according to FactSet data.