Stocks rise at the open as Fed officials hint at rate respite: Stock market news today

News Snapshot:

Stocks rose at the open on Friday, with the Nasdaq shaking off an Apple-fueled (AAPL) slide, after officials hinted the Federal Reserve could hold off from hiking interest rates at its meeting in September. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) added about 0.4%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) was up 0.1%. The Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) put on around 0.6% as Apple's shares recovered from a two-day slump that dragged down tech stocks. Investors are weighing comments by several Fed policymakers that appeared to signal they could hold off from further rate hikes this year. That optimism was bolstered by Federal...