Wall St opens up as Ukraine tensions ease

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks opened higher on Monday, with major indexes extending Friday's sharp rally as it appeared less likely that the tense situation between Russia and Ukraine would escalate.

Equities were also given a boost by Stanley Fischer, the vice chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, who said the recoveries in the U.S. and global economies had been "disappointing" thus far, indicating the Fed may not imminently tighten its monetary policy.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 31.02 points or 0.19 percent, to 16,584.95, the S&P 500 gained 4.21 points or 0.22 percent, to 1,935.8 and the Nasdaq Composite added 16.70 points or 0.38 percent, to 4,387.60.

(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Editing by Nick Zieminski)