Wall St opens higher, Facebook awaited

Still, major indexes were on track to close their worst week of 2012, pressured largely by the ongoing situation in Europe.

Facebook raised about $16 billion in one of the biggest initial public offerings in U.S. history, pricing its offering at $38 a share on Thursday. Shares are expected to begin trading around 11 a.m. (1500 GMT).

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 23.54 points, or 0.19 percent, at 12,466.03. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 2.74 points, or 0.21 percent, at 1,307.60. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 7.68 points, or 0.27 percent, at 2,821.37.