NEW YORK, Aug 18 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose at the opening bell on Tuesday as better-than-expected results from retailers Home Depot Inc and Target Corp tempered a surprise drop in housing starts in July.
* The Dow Jones industrial average rose 45.34 points, or 0.50 percent, to 9,180.68. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index gained 4.58 points, or 0.47 percent, to 984.31. The Nasdaq Composite Index put on 12.90 points, or 0.67 percent, to 1,943.74.