US stocks rise in early trading despite disappointing data

US stock indices opened higher on Tuesday, despite the release of disappointing economic data.

The US building permits index was at 1.59 million last month, lower than forecasts of 1.67 million.

The housing starts index was at 1.56 million units in September, lower than forecasts of 1.61 million units.

Several major companies reported their quarterly business results, as Johnson & Johnson reported today its business results for the third quarter.

As for stocks, Dow Jones rose 0.3% or 106 points to 35,365 as of 14:02 GMT, and S&P 500 rose 0.3% or 16 points to 4,502, while Nasdaq rose 0.2% or 37 points to 15,058.