U.S. stocks opened higher on Thursday as investors were digesting a slew of economic data amid hopes for U.S.-China trade talks.
Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 126.67 points, or 0.49 percent, to 26,125.59. The S&P 500 was up 11.71 points, or 0.41 percent, to 2,900.63. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 54.64 points, or 0.69 percent, to 8,008.87.
Market sentiment was lifted by a report suggesting that Washington is proposing a new round of high-level trade talks with Beijing amid ongoing friction.
Trade-sensitive stocks Boeing and Caterpillar advanced more than 1 percent, in early trading.
Wall Street also paid close attention to the latest economic data.
The U.S. Consumer Price Index increased 0.2 percent in August on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Department of Labor reported on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters expected a gain of 0.3 percent.
Increases in the indexes for shelter and energy were the main contributors.
Meanwhile, in the week ending September 8, the figure of U.S. initial jobless claims decreased 1,000 to 204,000 from the previous week's revised level, said the Labor Department. This is the lowest level for initial claims since December 6, 1969 when it was 202,000.
