U.S. stocks end the year with a slightly higher open

REUTERS - U.S. stock index futures opened slightly higher on Wednesday, suggesting Wall Street would end a strong year with minor gains in a seasonal trend of modest moves and low volume.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 44.17 points, or 0.25 percent, to 18,027.24, the S&P 500 gained 3.32 points, or 0.16 percent, to 2,083.67 and the Nasdaq Composite added 13.36 points, or 0.28 percent, to 4,790.80.

(Reporting By Sinead Carew)