Wall Street opens little changed after ECB comment

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NEW YORK May 19, 2015 - 12:00 am GMT+3

U.S. stocks were little changed at the open on Tuesday after the European Central Bank hinted it would accelerate its bond-buying program for the next two months. Data showed U.S. housing starts jumped to their highest level in nearly 7-1/2 years in April and permits soared, offering hope for an economy struggling to regain momentum. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 12.68 points, or 0.07 percent, to 18,311.56, the S&P 500 gained 1.2 points, or 0.06 percent, to 2,130.4 and the Nasdaq Composite added 8.57 points, or 0.17 percent, to 5,087.01.