S&P 500 Index opens modestly higher near 3,220

• Major equity indexes in the US opened in the positive territory.
• S&P 500 remains on track to post weekly gains.
• Defensive sectors trade in the green on Friday.

Wall Street's main indexes started the last day of the week modestly higher in the absence of significant fundamental drivers. As of writing, the S&P 500 was up 0.17% on the day at 3,221, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was gaining 0.05% at 26,746 and the Nasdaq Composite was rising 0.22% at 10,496.

Despite the uninspiring performance of US stocks, the market mood remains relatively upbeat with the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) falling by 4.3%.

Among the 11 major S&P 500 sectors, the defensive Utilities and Healthcare indexes are up 0.72% and 0.5%, respectively, as the top gainers. On the other hand, the risk-sensitive Communication Services Index is down 0.58%.

S&P 500 chart (daily)