Stocks Opened Mixed, Eyed on Yellen & Co.

Stocks opened mostly lower on Friday, as investors awaited Janet Yellen and other key Federal Reserve officials for confirmation of a March interest-rate hike. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately gained 16.26 points, or 0.08%, to 21,019.23. The S&P 500 slipped 0.80 point, or 0.03%, to 2,381.12. The Nasdaq Composite added 3.56 points, or 0.06%, to 5,864.78.

Fed Chair Janet Yellen is set to speak at the Executives Club of Chicago at 1 p.m. ET. Fed Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer is also scheduled to speak Friday.

Oil prices ticked higher on Friday, as a weaker dollar encouraged buying but investors remained cautious after Russian production figures showed weak compliance with a global deal to cut output. Global benchmark Brent was up 7 cents at $55.15 a barrel at 1252 GMT. WTI futures traded at $52.64 a barrel, up 3 cents on the previous close.

On Thursday, the wholesale retailer Costco (COST) announced it would raise the price of its Goldstar membership by $5 per year to $60. Its Executive membership fee will rise by $10 a year to $120.

Revlon Inc. (REV) on Friday reported a fourth-quarter loss of $36.5 million, after reporting a profit in the same period a year earlier. the company said it had a loss of 70 cents. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to 43 cents per share.