Wall St opens modestly up, stimulus worry eases

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks opened modestly higher on Thursday as the latest economic data indicated that central bank stimulus measures would remain intact.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 8.98 points, or 0.06 percent, to 15,311.78. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose 2.39 points, or 0.14 percent, to 1,650.75. The Nasdaq Composite Index added 7.22 points, or 0.21 percent, to 3,474.73.

(Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Bernadette Baum)