US stocks open higher on upbeat data

NEW YORK - US stocks opened slightly higher on Wednesday after data showed US job market was in course of recovery.

Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week declined by 41,000 to 410,000, said the Labor Department on Wednesday. The result was in line with expectations despite negative effect caused by superstorm Sandy.

Meanwhile, investors were awaiting more economic data including the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan consumer confidence index, which will be released later in the day. Recent economic indicators have been pointing to continued US economic recovery.

However, euro-zone financial ministers once again failed to present a detailed plan for Greece' s bailout after Tuesday' s conference and they scheduled another meeting on November 26 to further discuss financing aid for Greece.

Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 25.18 points, or 0.20 percent, at 12,813.69. The Standard & Poor's 500 was up 2.51 points, or 0.18 percent, to 1,390.32. The Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 9.62 points, or 0.33 percent, to 2,926.30.