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)