U.S. Stocks Open Flat As French Election Looms

U.S. stocks opened little-changed as investors adopted a wait-and-see approach ahead of the first round of voting in the French presidential election, which takes place Sunday. The S&P 500 index was unchanged at 2,355, The Dow Jones Industrial Average was flat at 20,592. The Nasdaq Composite Index was little-changed at 5,915. While centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron remains the favorite to win overall, some fear that the National Front's Marine Le Pen and far-left contender Jean Luc Melenchon might advance to the second round, an upset that would lead to a "nightmare scenario" for markets. Corporate earnings reports released Friday before the bell were generally positive, as shares of industrial conglomerate General Electric Co. rallied after its earnings surpassed expectations. Honeywell International Inc. also beat, sending shares higher. Meanwhile, shares of Mattel Inc. slumped after the toy maker's quarterly results, released late Thursday, missed the mark.