Stocks Open Mostly Higher; Tech Weakness Weighs On Nasdaq

U.S. stocks opened mostly higher on Thursday, with the S&P 500 and Dow industrials lifted by a rally in financials. However, by weakness in technology shares weighed on the Nasdaq Composite index. Banking shares rallied after the 34 biggest U.S. banks passed the Federal Reserve's stress test and received green light for plans to return capital to shareholders. The S&P 500 was up fractionally at 2,441. The Dow Jones Industrial Average began the session slightly higher, up 20 points, or 0.1%, at 21,476. The Nasdaq Composite index declined 21 points, or 0.4%, to 6,214. Among biggest gainers, Citigroup Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co were up 3.6% and 2.9% respectively shortly after the opening bell.