Stocks opened higher on Friday, putting the benchmark S&P 500 on track for its best weekly performance since early July as European policymakers gathered to discuss the region's debt crisis.

The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI gained 48.85 points, or 0.43 percent, to 11,482.03. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index .SPX rose 4.52 points, or 0.37 percent, to 1,213.63. The Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC added 8.11 points, or 0.31 percent, to 2,615.18.

(Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak)