Stocks advance in early trading; B&N, Hertz rise

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are opening higher on Wall Street, following the first weekly decline in the S&P 500 index this year.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 37 points at 14,038 shortly after the opening bell.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index was up six at 1,522 and the Nasdaq composite was up 19 at 3,180.

Barnes & Noble jumped 7 percent on news that its chairman is trying to buy the company's stores and website.

Hertz rose 6 percent after the rental car company predicted revenue and profit for this year that exceeded Wall Street's forecasts.

Stocks surged 2.4 percent in Tokyo following reports that the prime minister's pick for central bank governor will be a strong advocate of loose monetary policy.