U.S. stocks opened mixed Friday as oil prices hit record 78.40 dollars amid concerns over the Middle East unrest.

In the early exchanges, the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.22 to 10,846.07. The Standard & Poor's 500 index climbed 0.39 to 1,242.68 and the Nasdaq composite index up 1.81 to 2,055.93.

World oil prices hit record intraday 78.40 dollars Friday amid concerns over situations in the Middle East. Israel imposed an air and sea blockade on Lebanon on Thursday following the cross-border raid by Hezbollah guerrilla who captured two Israeli soldiers.

Traders are still concerned about the possibilities that Iran's oil exports would halt if the United Nations imposes Teheran an international sanction for its nuclear activities. Iran is OPEC's No. 2 producer behind Saudi Arabia, making 4 million bpd of oil and exporting 2.4 million bpd.

Source: Xinhua