Wall Street opens higher, led by tech

US stock indices opened the last session of the week higher, led by the tech sector and paring the losses sustained earlier this week amid fears of a trade war, especially after recent reports about President Trump's potential plans to tax $60 billion worth of Chinese imports. 

Earlier US data showed drops in housing starts and building permits in February, while both industrial output and the capacity utilization rate rose past forecasts, and finally, University of Michigan's consumer sentiment survey rose unexpectedly in March. 

The Federal Open Market Committee will meet on March 20-21 under Chair Jerome Powell for the first time, with policymakers expected to release three-year forecasts for inflation, growth, unemployment, and interest rates. 

As of 02:57 GMT, Standard and Poor's 500 rose 0.44%, or 12.02 points to 2,759.35, while Dow Jones added 0.44%, or 108.71 points to 24,968.73. 

Tech-heavy NASDAQ rose 0.36%, or 27.12 points to 7,509.01.