US: Wall St opens higher helped by strong Microsoft earnings

[NEW YORK] US stocks opened higher on Thursday as a slew of strong earnings reports from companies including Microsoft and Ford helped lift sentiment.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 153.12 points, or 0.62 per cent, at the open to 24,736.54.

The S&P 500 opened higher by 18.78 points, or 0.71 per cent, at 2,674.88. The Nasdaq Composite gained 89.09 points, or 1.25 per cent, to 7,197.49 at the opening bell.

REUTERS