New York - Wall Street stocks Thursday opened higher following solid reports on US retail sales and jobless claims.
Six minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 55.10 (0.34 percent) to 16,395.18.
The broad-based S&P 500 tacked on 5.39 (0.29 percent) to 1,873.59, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index added 16.11
(0.37 percent) at 4,339.45.
The gains followed news that US retail sales rose 0.3 percent in February, strengthening confidence that slow economic activity since November could largely be weather-related.
The Labor Department said 315,000 initial jobless claims were filed in the week ending March 8, the lowest level in three months. - Sapa-AFP