North American stocks are set to open slightly higher Friday ahead of a speech from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and as oil prices rally on concerns tropical storms could threaten U.S. Gulf Coast oil refineries.

Bernanke is scheduled to speak on economic integration at the Fed’s annual symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyo.

There are no major economic releases from Statistics Canada today.

The Canadian dollar opened at US90.38¢, up 0.35 of a cent.

In today’s earnings news, Royal Bank said it is boosting its quarterly dividend after third-quarter profit jumped 20% to $1.18 billion.

Crude-oil futures rose $1.03 to US$73.39 a barrel early Friday. Traders are monitoring Tropical Storm Debby and a tropical wave in the Atlantic, which forecasters say could escalate into a bigger storm. The activity has prompted fears that a storm could damage Gulf Coast oil facilities.

Among stocks to watch, Apple Computer is issuing a big recall of laptop-computer batteries, on the heels of a recall by rival Dell. The cells inside the batteries were made by a unit of Sony, which also supplied the cells used by Dell. Sony took a hit in Japanese trading, falling 2% on the news.

Declines for Toyota and Sony helped pull the Nikkei 225 lower for the day. The benchmark index shed 21.96 points, or 0.14%, to finish at 15,938.66 points on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

In Hong Kong, the blue-chip Hang Seng Index rose 72.41 points, or 0.4%, to 16,955.45.

European markets were mostly flat.

Toronto stocks fell Thursday, as weakness in resources stocks weighed down the broader market.

The S&P/TSX composite index fell 62.78, or 0.51%, to 12,132.30.

Half of the 10 TSX main sub-groups were down, with the materials index falling farthest at 1.49%.

The financials sector fell 0.33% despite strong quarterly earnings reported by Toronto-Dominion Bank, which posted a profit gain of 94% to $796 million in the third quarter. TD Bank shares moved up 28¢, or 0.44%, to $63.63.

Consumer staples increased a strong 1.82% as the sector took in a major announcement.

Drugstore chain Jean Coutu Group Inc. said it is selling its U.S. drugstore business to U.S.-based Rite Aid Corp. for US$3.4 billion. Jean Coutu shares gained $1.81, or 16.53%, to $12.76. Rite Aid Corp. shares fell 6.8% to $4.36 on the New York Stock Exchange.

The S&P/TSX Venture Exchange index moved ahead by 4.42 points, or 0.17%, to 2,646.21.

In New York, markets posted small gains as investors remained wary of a possibly slowing U.S. economy.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 6.56 points at 11,304.46. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 2.45 points to 2,137.11, and the S&P 500 Index added 3.07 points to 1,296.06.