US stocks have opened higher as a positive outlook from tech giant Intel and merger news offset worry about sectarian conflict in Iraq.
Five minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 17.47 points (0.10 per cent) to 16,751.66.
The broad-based S&P 500 advanced 2.55 (0.13 per cent) to 1,932.66, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index gained 14.79 (0.34 per cent) at 4,312.42.
Investors continued to keep close watch on Iraq, where a push by militants towards Baghdad has lifted oil prices to nine-month highs. On Friday, leading Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called on Iraqis to fight the extremists.
Computer-chip giant Intel, a Dow component, lifted its second-quarter and full-year revenue forecast, citing better-than-expected demand for business PCs. Intel shares jumped 6.7 per cent.
Online travel giant Priceline announced a $US2.6 billion ($A2.8 billion) acquisition of online restaurant reservation service OpenTable.
Priceline dipped 0.5 per cent, while OpenTable shot up 47.1 per cent.
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