US STOCKS SNAPSHOT-Wall St opens higher as inflation eases; forecast boosts Micron

Dec 18 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes opened higher on Thursday after softer-than-expected inflation data boosted expectations for more interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, while chipmaker Micron's blowout forecast briefly eased worries about tech-sector valuation.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 215.2 points, or 0.45%, at the open to 48,101.18. The S&P 500 .SPX rose 56.6 points, or 0.84%, at the open to 6,778.06​, while the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC rose 318.7 points, or 1.40%, to 23,012.063 at the opening bell.