: U.S. stocks open higher after inflation data as S&P 500 heads for September loss

U.S. stocks opened higher on Friday as investors digested fresh data showing core inflation rose less than expected in August. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA was up 0.5% soon after the opening bell, while the S&P 500 SPX gained 0.7% and the Nasdaq Composite COMP advanced 1%, according to FactSet data, at last check. Inflation, as measured by the personal-consumption-expenditures price index, rose 0.4% in August, according to a report Friday from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Core PCE, which excludes food and energy prices, rose 0.1%. That was softer than the forecast from economists polled by The Wall Street Journal for a 0.2% rise in core inflation in August. U.S. stocks are facing monthly losses, with the S&P 500 on track to fall around 4% in September, according to FactSet data, at last check.

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